Reinforced Steel
by StarvingLunatic
Summary: Mai Otome. Sequel to "Dents in Her Armor." Natsuki and Shizuru try to move forward with their relationship. Only thing is that Natsuki's parents keep setting up road blocks.
1. Wonderful time of the year

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

This is the sequel to the story "Dents in Her Armor." The rating may or may not go up...I'm not too sure right now. I would bank on it going up eventually, though.

Reinforced Steel 

1: Wonderful time of the year

Natsuki sighed as she walked the streets of the city with a purpose. It was a slightly confused purpose, but it was a purpose none the less. Her stride was powerful, full of meaning, and she was not going to have anyone stop her, even if she was not sure what she was doing. She kept asking herself what she thought she was doing, but the question did not make her turn around. She was determined and she was going to keep going forward like the mighty soldier she was.

"Even though I'm probably just going to make an ass out of myself as usual," Natsuki muttered to herself with another sigh as she continued on her march. She did shake her head a little bit, but she kept on going.

At least she was making an ass out of herself for a good cause, she thought. Still, she was pretty sure that most people would think that she was out of her mind for what she had planned anyway, especially considering what happened a couple of months ago. But, really, the incident was the thing driving her, the thing that was forcing her to go and make an ass of herself.

She hurried her pace, almost as if she was trying to avoid being seen on the street and it had nothing to do with crazed Otome fans. She was not a very high profile Otome, even considering her position, so she was not very popular amongst the fans. She did not want to be spotted by someone that might know her personally. That would be a million times worse than running into some faceless fan.

Natsuki pulled down the fedora-style black hat that she was wearing, masking her eyes. She had a matching black pea-coat with the collar up, trying her best to hide in case someone did see her. She suspected that she looked ridiculous, but she really did not want to chance anyone seeing her face. She breathed a sigh of relief when she made it through the busy streets and to her destination.

"Damn people and their early holiday shopping," she grumbled to herself as she entered the building. Of course, any shopping done the day before a holiday was early in her opinion.

"Can I help you?" a voice and its petite female owner inquired, seeming to come out of nowhere.

Natsuki, focusing more on her anger outside, did not notice the young woman coming up to her, so when she heard the voice and the owner stood before her, the great Second Column practically jumped out of her skin. Once she took notice that she was being eyed by just a saleswoman, her heart calmed down and she took a soothing breath. She straightened herself out, standing the dignity one would expect of the principal of Garderobe and a princess.

"May I help you?" the saleswoman asked again. She was trying her best to not laugh at Natsuki's shaken reaction to her. It would not be professional for her to giggle, especially at a customer. After all, she worked in the most high-class jewelry store in Windbloom and she was practically required to maintain a certain poise.

Natsuki was about to dismiss the woman before her, but a simple factor made her change her mind; the woman before her reminded her of Mai. She had a soft face like Mai with the same color hair, only longer. It was a sign, she figured; thank the Shinso! She did need all the help that she could get, after all.

"You can help me. I need to find a ring," Natsuki vaguely explained. She did not want to just come right out and say that she thought that she was too stupid to find the ring on her own and was scared that she might screw it up. Even with that fear, she did not think to ask a friend to help out of embarrassment. Childish behavior, she knew, but knowing did not stop her.

"Oh, well, I'm sure you know we have plenty of those," the young woman replied, motioning around the large shop. They were in a well-renowned jewelry store, after all.

"Yeah, but it's a special ring," Natsuki replied, still being vague. She could not figure out why she was so embarrassed about what she was doing. Maybe it was just the fact that she felt too incompetent to do it on her own. She dared to consider abandoning her mission, but that only lasted for a second. She needed to go through with at least this part of the plan considering she might never get such an opportunity again.

"Special? Hmm…" the saleswoman made the noise while regarding Natsuki and the faint blush coating her cheeks. She could tell that the blush was not due to the uncharacteristic cold that was outside, but rather what was going on inside.

"Yes, very special." Natsuki's eyes were now on the floor. Hey, tile could be very interesting if given enough attention.

"I'm sure I can help. Do you have any idea what you're looking for?" the saleswoman inquired with a polite smile on her face, hoping that the expression calmed Natsuki down.

Natsuki turned up her mouth a bit and dropped her head. "I don't really have an idea," she admitted.

"That's fine, that's fine," the saleswoman assured her in a gentle tone. "We can look around in the display cases and you can describe the person you want to buy the ring for."

"Person? Who said I wanted to buy a ring for a person?" Natsuki replied, suddenly on the defensive. She even reeled back as if the woman pulled a weapon on her. The saleswoman was close to laughing by the reaction that the Second Column had.

"All right, all right. You're not buying the ring for anyone. You're just here to purchase a ring with no idea in particular what you want," the saleswoman said to keep Natsuki from bolting out of the door as the principal looked like she wanted to do. If what she just said was the case, it was going to be quite difficult to be of any help to Natsuki.

Natsuki was quiet for a moment and then she started fidgeting with her fingers; ah, she was no good at these sorts of things. "Umm…well…she's…very kind…" she mumbled.

"Okay, a kindhearted person. Anything else?"

"Um…she has very pretty eyes. I've never seen eyes quite like these. They shine like…not rubies. I guess I want to say they shine like diamonds, red diamonds if that makes any sense," Natsuki answered, hoping that she did not sound like some sort of idiot. Romance was not her area, she thought with a mental frown.

The saleslady gave her a gentle smile and nod to show that she understood. "It made perfect sense," she promised. She thought that the words and the look on Natsuki's face helped greatly.

"That's good. Is that enough?" the principal asked. She did not want to say more sappy things because she knew that eventually, she would come off like an idiot.

"For now, it should be fine. Let's start looking first and if you feel the need to add more, then just say so. I think it would be best to start over here." She led the Second Column over to a display case on the left wall of the large jewelry store.

Natsuki peered into the case to see all sorts of rings with red gemstones. She shook her head while looking them all over. None of those compared to the eyes that she was talking about, so she did not see the point in even bothering.

"You said red diamonds, right?" the saleswoman inquired.

"Yes, her eyes look like red diamonds," Natsuki repeated with a nod.

"How do you think she would describe you?" the saleswoman asked curiously while tilting her head to regard the pale woman before her. "Something distant and mysterious?" she guessed.

"Hmm…" Natsuki thought on it. She was pretty sure that the first thing that Shizuru would say to describe her would be the word "cute." But, what would follow that hideous, evil word? "…Bashful…Cool…" she muttered, speaking more to herself than the saleswoman.

"I'm sure beautiful would come up, too. Might I ask the occasion for the ring just to help me figure out exactly what we should look at?" the saleswoman inquired.

"Um…" Natsuki then grumbled her answer completely under her breath. It sounded like she was talking with rocks in her mouth.

"I didn't quite catch that, ma'am. Could you please repeat it? I'm only here to help, after all."

Natsuki took a deep breath, hoping to calm herself down. Her heart was racing and she could not figure out why. She had never felt such anxiety when going into battle or when facing down heads of state. Right now, though, she felt like she could wither and die. It was always like that with romance.

"Okay, look, I'll level with you. As you can probably tell, I suck at stuff like this. It's not really something I cared about growing up and even though I've had ten years to get better at it, I'm still pretty crappy at it. Now, I've got this woman…damn it, she's a great woman. I almost lost her not too long ago and it was not a good feeling. I don't ever want to feel that way again and I don't want her to ever be scared that we could end like she was. So, I'm trying to find the perfect ring to hopefully make the perfect proposal that'll lead to the perfect wedding," Natsuki explained with a close to pleading look in her eyes and some defeat in her posture.

The saleswoman was speechless for a moment. Her large hazel eyes got even wider and she appeared ready to burst into tears. In her mind, she was screaming, "So cool and adorable!" She managed to compose herself quickly and straightened herself out.

"Ma'am, it sounds like this woman is very special to you. I'm sure you'll be able to find the perfect ring and make the perfect proposal. If you would like, you can even design a ring for her. It would make it much more personal and endearing," the woman pointed out.

Natsuki seemed like she had a revelation at that moment. "Make a ring? That would be great!" She could just imagine the expression that she would get if she had a custom made ring. _It was brilliant!_ She grinned and almost glowed with approval.

"I'm sure it would. I can help you with this process or you could get a friend to help and then come back. A friend might be better. A friend that knows you and your lady, both."

Natsuki thought on that. Did she really want anyone to know what she had planned? They would all make such a fuss and bug her until she did not even feel like doing it anymore. She did not want them to ruin things for her. She really did want to make it through the process.

"Um…could you help…please?" Natsuki begged in a very shy manner. Things had to be perfect and she believed for that to happen, she would need help.

"Sure. I just need you to be a little more open and we'll be able to come up with something. I really like your red diamond idea." A bright smile stayed on the redheaded saleswoman's face.

"My idea?" Natsuki echoed in confusion. Well, maybe it was her idea, but the point was that she was getting the ring made.

"Just to be sure, would you like to know the cost of this?" the saleswoman asked. She realized that she got caught up in Natsuki's rather cute nervousness and forgot to make sure that the hopeful customer could pay. Nothing in the store was cheap and management was not interested in people just window-shopping.

"Trust me, money is the least of my worries here." In fact, Natsuki wished that she could just give Shizuru the money for everything, sit back, and call it a day. Too bad Shizuru would never go with that.

"All right. I will need your information to verify everything. I'm sorry, but it's standard procedure when we get new customers."

Natsuki nodded. "It's fine. As long as you help me get this ring done sometime today before six."

"She'll be looking for you by then?" the saleswoman guessed.

"Yes, she will and knowing her, she'll hunt me down and find me. So, let's make this quick," Natsuki pled.

The saleswoman chuckled a bit, but they went about conducting business. With the ring business out of the way, Natsuki practically had to run back to Garderobe to avoid being caught. By the time she was in her chair and trying to straighten herself out, the sun of her world entered the room.

"Natsuki!" Shizuru greeted her with quite the bright grin. She seemed to shine so brilliantly to her lover.

"Hey," Natsuki said nonchalantly while turning her best to kick her pea-coat to the far corner underneath her desk. She hoped that she could shove the hat in the bottom drawer before Shizuru made it over to her.

"How was my dearest Natsuki's day?" Shizuru inquired slowly walking over to the principal.

"Uh…just doing boring paperwork as usual! It's pretty slow around here because of the holiday!" Natsuki replied, trying to bite back her anxiety, but she really could not help her nervousness. She already felt like Shizuru knew how she spent her day and was just waiting to spring a trap of some kind.

"I know it's slow. I wish we could just go on holiday too, but you always take the time to catch up on your paperwork," Shizuru sighed as if she were drenched in deep sorrow. She made her way over to the desk and planted herself on the edge, which gave Natsuki a chance to hide her hat.

"It's easier to do since you go out to do holiday shopping. I don't have someone bugging me all day," the principal pointed out, face tensing slightly to make it seem as if she was annoyed.

Shizuru chuckled a bit. "Shouldn't you be doing holiday shopping too? After all, there is more than the holiday to worry about this month."

"Oh?" the younger woman said, even though she knew what her lover was hinting at. She would rather pretend like she did not know, though.

"I hope Natsuki gets her shopping done. Is Natsuki ready to leave yet? I would like to at least have dinner with her," Shizuru commented.

"Then let's go now. I can finish this up tomorrow while you go do some more shopping," Natsuki proposed.

The taller Otome smiled at that and helped Natsuki out of her chair for them to go home together. She did spy the edge of what appeared to be a coat under the desk. She wondered what her Natsuki was really up to. She thought that she might make an effort to find out because Natsuki had been acting strangely lately. She hoped that it was nothing serious.

"Natsuki, if something was wrong with you, you would tell me, correct?" Shizuru asked as they walked to their apartment. She had her arms wrapped tightly around her precious one.

"Everything's fine! Nothing's wrong!" Natsuki squealed. She wanted to slap herself as soon as those words left her mouth. _Why the hell am I acting so suspiciously?_ She had to calm down, she ordered herself.

The ruby-eyed woman craned an elegant eyebrow. "Ara, ara. Natsuki, we are supposed to be communicating more now. So, tell me if something is the matter."

"It's nothing, nothing at all," the raven-haired woman insisted, speaking in a much too rapid a tone. She knew that she could not quell the nervousness inside of her because she was scared that Shizuru would somehow find out and her effort would be for nothing. She was going to continue to feel the way she did until she could get her plan over with.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive!"

Shizuru sighed and let the matter drop, or so Natsuki thought. The night was normal and the day that followed seemed to be the same. Natsuki was left with a day to herself because Shizuru was out doing holiday shopping; _thank the Founder for holidays!_ So, now Natsuki could do something other than work.

"Okay, let's see about how these things work," Natsuki muttered to herself as she pulled out a stack of disks from her desk.

The principal popped in a disk from the stack and watched on a screen that was built into her desk. About ten minutes into the disk, Natsuki was falling asleep. She was out like a light until a voice behind her woke her up.

"Natsuki, what the hell are you doing?" a familiar voice inquired in a baffled tone.

"Huh!" Natsuki leaped in her chair with a start. She looked around to see what was going on and noticed a puzzled redhead by her side. "Yes, Nao?" she inquired with a deep sigh. She really did not want to see Nao at the moment.

"What the hell is this garbage you're watching?" the younger Column countered, motioning to the screen.

"None of your business," the principal replied in a gruff tone while reaching out to turn the disk off. _I'm never going to hear the end of this!_

Nao smirked. "Looks like you're watching cheesy romance movies. What, are you looking for ideas or something? You're such a lowly dog," she said while shaking her head as if she disapproved of the older woman's actions.

"Get the hell out of here! I don't need to take this shit from you and I have work to do anyway!" Natsuki pointed out while pointing an angry finger at the door.

"Okay, so I'll tell Shizuru that you're watching cheesy romance movies when you lie to her and say you're doing work around here. Fine," Nao replied in a teasing tone while turning to go to the door. She dared to shrug nonchalantly as she started to leave.

Natsuki tore herself away from her desk like a lion breaking its chains. She reached out and grabbed Nao with a crushing grip. She pulled the younger woman back to her and glared down at her with fire in her emerald eyes.

"You had better not say anything about this to Shizuru!" Natsuki roared. A vein bulged out of her neck from the volume of her voice.

Nao was stunned by the reaction and her throat clenched from the clear anger in the principal. She wondered what Natsuki had planned. She hoped that it was not something stupid. She really could not deal with Natsuki doing something stupid involving Shizuru again.

"You're planning something, aren't you?" Nao asked suspiciously.

"If I am, it's none of your business," Natsuki replied forcefully.

"If not mine, I will tell your precious Shizuru that you're planning something, that you sit in here when she's gone and watch crappy romance movies," Nao said daringly. She knew that she had the upper-hand no matter. Natsuki could threaten to strip her of all of her Otome status and she would still have the better hand because her threat involved Shizuru.

Natsuki frowned, knowing that she was caught and Nao was well aware of it. "You will not speak of this ever," she growled.

"Just tell me what you're doing," Nao said while pulling herself away from the principal's tight grip. Damn it, she was going to have bruises on her wrist, she noted from the pink already forming on her limb. "Why the hell are you watching stupid movies like that for?"

"Research…" Natsuki admitted while turning her nose up.

"Research?" Nao echoed with a puzzled expression in her eyes.

"Yes, research."

"On what, Natsuki? Shinso, I don't read minds! Just spill it already!"

"Look, I'm watching this crap to figure out how to propose to Shizuru, okay! That's why you can't go blabbing about it! So, just let it go!"

For the second time in about a minute, Natsuki had managed to shock Nao. _The principal was planning to propose?_ Nao could not even picture it; and she did try hard. She started laughing, more on instinct than anything else. She knew that she was supposed to laugh whenever Natsuki did something weird, but underneath it all, she hated to admit that she was starting to see why Shizuru thought Natsuki was so sweet.

"Why the hell are you laughing?! You're one of the people that swear I always screw up when it comes to Shizuru, so I'm trying to do something right!" Natsuki pointed out.

"You do screw up a lot. After all, didn't you almost end up married to a complete and total jackass not too long ago while breaking Shizuru's heart?" the redhead countered with a smug look on her face.

"I didn't mean for that to get so out of hand!" the raven-haired woman snarled.

"Well, it did and you got the whole school caught up in it!"

"Well, I'm trying to do better!" Natsuki retorted, as if that was an insult. She even folded her arms across her chest, as if that helped hammer the point home.

"Well, you need to! What she sees in a moron like you, I'll never know. Now, if you're going to propose, I'll help you figure out how to go about it, so you can do it sometime this century. By the Founder, most women wouldn't wait ten years for such an idiot to propose, you know?"

Natsuki glanced away; she felt like Nao was right. She was pretty sure that Shizuru was waiting for her and she was putting it off. Even now, she wondered if proposing was too late or too early? Should they wait until they retire to get married or should she have asked five years ago? Was she even doing this for the right reason?

Yes, she wanted to be linked to Shizuru always and forever, but part of why she was doing it now was to make Shizuru feel better. She wanted Shizuru to get over the fear that came with their short breakup and her engagement to a man that her father forced her into. She did not want to go through that again and she did not want Shizuru to go through that again. Her plan would allow them to not have to worry about such nonsense again. Was that a good reason? She was not sure it was.

She was sure that she loved Shizuru more than anything else in the world, and the breakup was what allowed her to learn that. The breakup told her just how special that teasing woman was to her. She never wanted to let Shizuru go. Now, that was a good reason; she was sure of it.

"I don't need your help," Natsuki declared.

Nao scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You're watching romance movies to figure out what you should do. Do you have any idea how pathetic that is?"

"I don't care if it's pathetic! I'm going to make things perfect and I don't give a damn about your opinion of things!" Natsuki declared and then she actually stormed out of her office. She got to her receptionist desk when she realized what she had done. "Oh, goddamn it!" she screamed in frustration.

Thankfully, her receptionist, like most of the other students, had gone home for the vacation, so no one got to hear the always professional Headmaster swearing. Natsuki decided that she did not care that she was the one that left the office and she decided to just get away. _Damn Nao and being an annoying bitch_, Natsuki silently cursed.

Nao chuckled a bit as she walked out of the office right after the principal left. That Natsuki was something else, she thought. She wondered if it was the right time for Natsuki to be planning something so drastic, though. After all, Natsuki and Shizuru had almost completely thrown each other away not too long ago. Had their relationship picked up easily in a just a few months? She was not sure of the answer, especially considering the person that she needed to see now.

"So, is Natsuki fine? She is not in any trouble, is she?" Shizuru asked as Nao exited the administrative building from the side door.

"She's fine. What're you so worried about anyway? Aren't you guys back to being all lovey-dovey?" Nao countered with a bit of an attitude.

"We are. I am worried because Natsuki has been acting so nervous and fidgety lately, but she refuses to talk about it. She always tells me things are fine when they are clearly not. I do not want her to suffer alone," Shizuru explained.

"Well, if you don't want her to suffer, you should shoot her and put her out of our misery. I don't know why the hell you bother with her. She's such an idiot," Nao declared with a huff.

Shizuru smirked and shook her head. "An idiot that is your very good friend. Thank you for this, Nao. I do appreciate it."

"Like I give a damn about your thanks. Pay me to thank me next time," Nao huffed as she started to storm away. She then suddenly stopped and turned. "You have to trust her, you know? She's a dumb dog, yes, but she's also a wolf and last I heard, they mate for life."

Shizuru smiled a little bit and clasped her hands together in a rather dramatic fashion. "Nao is so supportive and helpful."

"The hell I am! I just want you to leave me alone with stupid stuff like this!" Nao declared before continuing on her march off.

Shizuru sighed while shaking her head, yet her smile remained. Nao and Natsuki, the strangest pair of friends she had ever met, she thought. It was good to know that nothing was wrong with Natsuki, but she did continue to wonder why Natsuki had been acting so bizarrely the past couple of days. She considered Natsuki might be trying to plan a surprise as it was quite an important time of the year.

"Well, I will wait to see what Natsuki has up her sleeve," Shizuru said to herself and then figured that she would go back to holiday shopping.

--------------

Next time: Natsuki works up the nerve to propose. Does Shizuru accept?


	2. Desert rose

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

2: Desert rose

Natsuki was in a funk, fleeing Garderobe for destinations unknown. She just knew that she needed to get away from Nao. "_What an annoying, little pest!_" her mind roared.

The raven-haired Otome continued on her way, not sure where she should go. She did consider going to check on the ring, but she doubted it was going to be done a day after she made the order. Besides, she did not have her coat or hat to hide from anyone that might see her on the street in the city. She needed to figure out some place else to flee to for a little while.

"Stupid Nao. Ruining things already. Her, help me figure out how to propose? Yeah, right!" Natsuki scoffed loudly while continue her walk.

She felt rather insulted that Nao would even offer to help. Nao did not have a steady significant other in her life, not as far as Natsuki knew anyway. In fact, as far as the principal knew, which was much more than she would ever admit to, Nao did not even date. Nao conducted interviews when she went out, looking for her perfect man; a rich guy that would take care of her for the rest of her life.

"What the hell does Nao know about romance anyway? She's worse at it than I am, I bet!" The former biker stopped herself when she realized what she just said.

Realizing that she was going to give herself a headache, Natsuki decided to stop thinking. Her stomach suddenly growled and that gave her an idea of where she should go. She went to go see Mai and showed up right in time for lunch.

"Hey, Natsuki, what brings you by?" Mai inquired as she sat down at the table with Natsuki and Mikoto, both of whom were stuffing their faces with ramen. Thankfully, no one else was around because of the cold weather.

"I was hungry," Natsuki answered honestly.

"Yes, and usually when you're hungry, you're fed by Shizuru," Mai pointed out.

"She's out doing holiday shopping," the principal replied with a shrug. It was also the truth.

"Holiday?" Mikoto echoed in an interested tone. She knew that holidays meant more food. She could not wait! Her eyes darted over to Mai.

"Yes, Mikoto, I'll make a feast," the redhead sighed. She held in a laugh, thinking it humorous that Mikoto did not even know what holiday it was, but she knew to expect plenty of food. Then the redhead turned her attention back to Natsuki. "Do you have plans for the holiday?"

"Of course. Big plans actually," Natsuki admitted. She blamed the delicious food for loosening her tongue because that slipped out too easily.

"What are they?" Mai asked curiously. She leaned forward on her elbows, eager to hear what her good friend was going to do.

Natsuki pretended not to hear, but that did not stop Mai. In fact, that only made the redhead prod more, figuring that if she got on Natsuki's nerves enough, the hotheaded former biker would just blurt the information out. It was frightening how well she knew the principal.

"Natsuki, if you don't have anything planned, you can tell me. I won't tell Shizuru and I'm sure she'll forgive you. She's done it in the past, after all," Mai taunted her old friend.

"Like hell! I do have something planned! Something great, okay! So there!" Natsuki barked, slamming her hand down on her own leg. Her face was tight with anger. She hated being accused of not having something when she had huge freaking plans.

"You always say that and then we find out later that you forgot. You know, you shouldn't forget this year, not after you guys almost messed up, you know," Mai said in a reprimanding tone while shaking a disapproving index finger at the principal.

"I know that! That's why I have something special planned!" Natsuki roared, hitting the table with her fist and causing a little rattling from her empty dish.

Mikoto was having seconds and just watching the fight. She was calm about the whole thing because she could tell that Mai was playing around. She would not get worked up if Mai did not show any signs of a problem.

Mai scoffed. "I've heard that song before too."

"I do! I'm going to ask her to marry me!" Natsuki hollered to prove her point...and then she realized what she said. She sighed and hid her face in her hands. She could not believe she let Mai get her so easily. "You might as well laugh now…" the principal muttered in a miserable tone.

"Laugh? Why would I laugh? I think it's wonderful that you're going to ask her!" Mai declared with stars in her eyes, the hopeless romantic inside of her coming out and shining in her eyes. She clutched her hands together and pressed them to her right cheek as if she was declaring such a thing adorable.

Natsuki blinked hard, obviously not expecting that response. "You think so?"

"Of course I think so! How are you planning on doing it? Oh, a candlelit dinner? That would be romantic!" the redhead practically howled as she stood up to lean closer to Natsuki.

"Umm…I actually haven't figured that out yet," Natsuki confessed, eyes glued on the floor now. She scratched her cheek for a brief moment.

"No?" Mai looked thoughtful for a moment as she sat down. She then flashed her friend a big smile. "We can figure it out together if you like."

"You won't laugh?" Natsuki asked suspiciously.

"Of course not!" Mai vowed. "This is a serious matter, after all! It has to be perfect!"

Natsuki nodded in complete agreement. That was what she kept telling herself; things needed to be perfect. She decided that she could trust Mai to help her.

"Have you gotten a ring yet?" the redhead asked eagerly.

"I ordered one. It's going to be custom made. I should be able to pick it up in a week, they said," the emerald-eyed woman answered.

"Oh! How sweet! A custom made ring. Does Shizuru know about it or is it a surprise?"

"Surprise."

"Cool! Natsuki, I never imagine that you were such a romantic at heart! You might not even need my help. How are you going to propose? You're going to get down on one knee and everything?"

Natsuki's brow wrinkled and she rubbed the back of her neck in an uneasy manner. "I guess. I don't know about all of this proposing stuff. I mean, I never even seen it done before."

"Well, don't you have like a million older brothers? You could've asked one of them what they did," Mai suggested.

The former biker blanched and shook her head vigorously. There was really only one brother that she could ask such advice and she would never be able to ask _him_. Hell, even if she could, she doubted he would be able to answer.

"What? You think your brothers will kick you out of the 'brother club' if you ask them for advice?" the redhead inquired. She imagined something like that would be going through Natsuki's mind. She knew how much it meant for Natsuki to be accepted by her brothers as one of them.

"No…it's nothing like that. This just isn't their thing. I mean, out of the five of them, my eldest brother was the only one that got to pick his wife anyway. He wouldn't be much help on something like this," the principal explained while waving the whole thing.

Mai nodded to show that she understood, even though she did not completely comprehend what her friend meant. "Well, that's fine. We'll be able to figure something out. I mean, we're relatively smart," she remarked with a joyous laugh.

Natsuki nodded as a smile spread onto her face like butter on toast. Mai's attitude was infectious and she was starting to believe that they would be able to come up with the perfect way for her to propose. Her whole posture changed as she sat up straight with her shoulders squared.

"I'm so happy you finally decided to do this, Natsuki!" Mai grinned and then she seemed to be struck by a thought. She turned her mouth upward and put her finger to her chin. "Are you sure this is a good time for it? Is it right to propose after you guys almost lost each other? Is it healthy?"

"Healthy? Hell if I know. Right? Yes. It was because of that…time apart… I figured it was time to do this. I mean, I probably should've done this a long time ago. I don't know, but I'm doing it now," Natsuki answered soundly.

Mai nodded. "Just wanted to be sure you're sure about this. Now, let's get to planning this proposal!"

Mikoto was silent through the whole thing, not totally understanding what was going on. So, she ate and slept while they planned. The only time she interrupted was to lay on Mai's lap, which was not much of a distraction to the exciting conversation. Mikoto did show that she was paying some attention by asking a question once Natsuki left.

"Mai, what's a proposal for?" the cat-goddess asked curiously. She was still stretched out in Mai's lap, looking up at the Otome with puzzled golden eyes. They were seated comfortably on their sofa.

"Well, a proposal is when you ask someone you love to marry you," Mai explained in a soft tone.

"Marry?" Mikoto echoed. She had heard that word a few times before, but the meaning was lost to her, just like proposal. "What's that?"

"It's when you get to spend the rest of your life with the person you love."

"Oh, like me and Mai!" Mikoto beamed.

Mai laughed. "No, not quite like you and I, but it's close."

"Why not? I love Mai and we're going to be together forever!" Mikoto pointed out.

"Well, yes, but a marriage, you go through a nice ceremony with your whole family there and everybody's happy for you. But, I guess the idea that you have works fine for you," Mai said. She was going to explain more, but the grin on Mikoto's face practically begged for her to not burst the goddess' bubble.

--------------

Natsuki was busy walking home and thinking about what Mai said. She was not thinking of the proposal plan, which she supposed was the best idea that she had so far. She was more thinking about how Mai asked if it was right for her to propose after the trial that she and Shizuru had gone through. They had almost lost each other to their own stupidity then.

"Now, we're a little bit older. By a few months, anyway. And a whole lot wiser. I'm not going to let this woman get away from ever again. I couldn't stand being without her and she couldn't stand being without me. We've talked things over and talked things over. Should we talk more?" she wondered.

Natsuki sighed, knowing that she was starting with her bad habit of over-thinking things. There was so much to over-think, though. So, while going to Mai had helped, it had also caused a problem that Natsuki was hoping to avoid.

Was she acting too hastily? Yes, they had been together for ten years, but they had also recently had the biggest test of their relationship. Sure, they came away intact, but they were not without wounds. Would proposing help heal those wounds or would it just be like putting a band-aid over a broken bone?

Natsuki rubbed her head, mussing her own hair a little. She almost did not notice when she got back to the school. She sighed as she returned to her office. She started cleaning up and getting ready to leave, knowing that Shizuru would be there soon. She was right about that.

"Hello, my precious, dearest Natsuki," Shizuru chimed in with a delighted smile on her face. She was holding a few bags in her hands, so it was obvious that she had just come back from shopping.

"You're in a particularly good mood," Natsuki noted, a small smile gracing her features because of her lover's demeanor.

"Ara, ara, I saw the most wonderful gift for my mother. She is such a hard woman to shop for, so I'm quite happy to have spotted it. I am ashamed to admit that I almost had to gnaw an old woman's arm off for it," Shizuru remarked, her smile still in tact.

The principal could not help chuckling while picturing her lover beating up some poor old woman for the gift. She walked over to Shizuru's side and tried to peer into the bag, but Shizuru pulled it from her view. The slightly-shorter woman pouted because of the move.

"No peeking! Natsuki's gift is in here as well," Shizuru said with an amused smile. "Are we clear to go home now?"

"Yeah, let's get moving," Natsuki replied, putting an arm around her love's waist and tugging her toward the door.

"Strange. Natsuki has no work to take care of," the ruby-eyed Otome commented.

"I was able to finish it all before you showed up!" Natsuki said, a bit faster than she meant to. _Damn this anxiety_, she thought. She could not wait to get it out of the way…if she even went through with it now.

Natsuki started wondering, what if Shizuru did not accept? After all, she might think that it was too sudden or too soon since they had gotten back together. Or she might even accept for the wrong reason. Ah, so much to think about!

Shizuru watched Natsuki as they walked to their quarters. Her face was scrunched up and her body was tense. Her hold on Shizuru had tightened, which she did not seem to notice. Shizuru guessed that her Natsuki was lost in her own head. She wondered what was putting Natsuki into such a state.

"Is Natsuki all right?" Shizuru asked in a low, concerned tone as they came to the apartment door. She hoped that she got an answer now. If not, she was worried that they were regressing and she could not and would not stand for that.

"Well…I was…just thinking," Natsuki said vaguely while opening the door. She led Shizuru inside since she was still holding onto the sandy-haired Otome.

"About?" Shizuru inquired curiously.

Natsuki rubbed her forehead, trying to figure out how she should put things. She sat down on the couch with Shizuru while still thinking. Shizuru put her bag down, making sure it was out of her love's reach, so Natsuki was not tempted to sneak a peek. She then took Natsuki's hand, hoping that would help get her girlfriend to open up.

"I can't really figure out how to put this. Do you think our relationship is good?" the raven-haired female asked.

Shizuru's brow furrowed from the question. "Yes. Is Natsuki having doubts?"

"No! No, no, no! Not that!" Natsuki vigorously denied that charge. "I'm not having doubts about the relationship or anything. It's just that I was wondering if we're the same now as we had been before…that guy…showed up."

Shizuru nodded to show that she understood. "That guy" was referring to Takeda Masashi, Natsuki's brief fiancé thanks to her father; and maybe a little thanks to her own stupidity, she mentally admitted. Neither of them liked using his name, feeling he represented the lowest point in their relationship, but Shizuru thought that it was because of him that they were able to come to a new zenith in their relationship also.

"Of course we're not the same," Shizuru pointed out.

"Oh…" Natsuki seemed to deflate, which her love could not help thinking was both sad and adorable.

"Natsuki, that ordeal made us stronger. We were able to realize how much we mean to each other and what lengths we need to go to for each other. We know that we don't want to lose each other and we know we don't want to take each other for granted."

The principal nodded, almost absently. A smile crept onto her face, which was like a signal for Shizuru. The older Otome glomped her love, clutching Natsuki tightly while Natsuki flailed around for dear life.

"Stop being silly!" Natsuki ordered, as if that was going to work.

"But, I love being silly with my Natsuki!" Shizuru declared. She knew from the half-hearted attempt to remove her, Natsuki really did not mind it either. She also knew that the crisis, no matter how small it might have been, was over, which was very pleasing.

"Come on, Shizuru! Cut it out!"

----(New day)

Natsuki was out and about in her "disguise." She strolled the cold streets to the jewelry store, entering and catching the attention of the few people around. She peered around, looking for one specific person, but was approached by someone else.

"Excuse me, can I—?" a salesman tried to ask. He was wearing a polite smile, but his stance bothered the Otome. He was leaning forward, hunched over, reminding her of a crooked used-car dealer.

"I don't want your help," Natsuki stated briskly, looking over him, as if he was not there. "Where is the woman that's been helping me before? Where's Sumire Chandler?" That was the saleswoman that helped her get through the first time she had been in the jewelry store.

"Sumire?" he echoed almost as if he did not know who the woman was.

Natsuki frowned, but was halted from saying anything when she spotted the affable woman in question. She pushed by the man in front of her, almost throwing him to the side. The woman, Sumire, smiled graciously when Natsuki came up to her.

"Natsuki-san, you are fast," Sumire commented, smiling brightly still. She had only phoned the raven-haired customer fifteen minutes ago.

"You said the ring is ready, so I hurried to come get it while I had the chance," Natsuki explained.

"Is the special person still doing holiday shopping then?" Sumire asked curiously.

"No, lately she's taken to hounding me about certain days, so I had to give her something to do to leave me alone for a couple of hours. She's nervous that I'll forget."

"Have you forgotten in the past?" Sumire inquired with an arched eyebrow. She had a feeling that it was unlikely for Natsuki to forget much, but she also had a feeling that Natsuki was the type to pretend like she did forget.

"Never!" Natsuki declared with pride. "It's just...because I've forgotten other days, that makes it seem plausible for me to forget this day."

"And what day have you forgotten that makes it plausible?" Sumire asked in a friendly fashion. She seemed genuinely surprised and curious. Even though she had only spoken to Natsuki a few times, she had come to believe the raven-haired Otome to be quite the considerate and thoughtful lover.

"My own birthday," Natsuki admitted with a slightly sheepish laugh.

Sumire blinked hard from that answer. "Your own birthday?"

"I've forgotten it on more than one occasion, but I would never forget this day. She doesn't seem to get that she is so much more important to me than I am to myself," the principal explained with a rather charming, small smile that she was very unaware she even owned.

Sumire almost swooned. The look of love in Natsuki's eyes and the sound of it in her voice were almost too much. Sumire could not believe someone like Natsuki could be so romantic and so oblivious to the fact that she was. It was bordering on the incredible.

"Well, the ring has come in Natsuki-san. Let me go get it for you. I hope you have your other affairs in order," Sumire said casually.

Natsuki laughed a bit. "I'm trying my best. Like I keep telling you, though, I'm not really good at this sort of thing. Maybe it's because I've got so many brothers…or at least that's what some people say."

"I'm sure you're doing fine. Your brothers would more than likely be proud of you."

Natsuki scratched the side of her head, as if she was thinking on it. All she could see in her mind was her brothers laughing at her for being so cheesy. They used to laugh over romance movies and things like that, for crying out loud! They would probably think that she was being a wuss.

"Well…if it's for Shizuru, I suppose it's fine…" Natsuki muttered to herself.

Thankfully, the principal did not have enough time to think on anything more. Sumire walked back up to her, holding a small jewelry box. Natsuki looked down at it, almost as if she did not know what it was.

"I thought you'd like to see the finished product before I put it in the bag," Sumire explained.

"Oh, right. Okay, let's see it," the pale Otome said.

Sumire nodded and opened the box. Natsuki looked down at the ring and gasped. She was not sure why she had expected it to look mundane, as it was just a ring, but she could feel more from it. It was her impression of their love, the embodiment of her love for Shizuru, and a representation of the forever that lay before them. _How could all of that be kept in such a tiny thing? _But, she knew that all of that and more was inside of that ring.

Natsuki reached out for it when a trembling hand. She was almost scared to take it, fearing that she might drop it. Her hand thankfully steadied as she held the ring. She swallowed hard as she felt the weight in her hand. She was certain that nothing in the world had ever been so light and yet so heavy simultaneously.

"I take it you like it, Natsuki-san?" Sumire asked with a proud smile.

"It's…" Natsuki was not sure what word to describe it.

"Perfect?" Sumire guessed.

"Yes. Thank you so much!" Natsuki said and she bowed.

Sumire was taken back by the action to the point that she wondered what the hell Natsuki was doing. She had come to understand that the emerald-eyed woman was casual to a fault, but she never would expect Natsuki to bow. Not when she knew the woman before her was an Otome, a princess, and the principal of Garderobe. It was almost like having a god bow before her.

"Natsuki-san, please, you're embarrassing me," Sumire whispered through clenched teeth.

"Huh?" Natsuki then realized what she did and stood back up. She nervously rubbed the back of her head. "Uh…sorry…"

"It's all right. I'm glad you're so happy with the ring. I hope everything goes well and don't forget me when you need to have a wedding ring made. Maybe by then, you'll bring by this special woman for me to meet," Sumire said with a smile.

"Wedding…" Natsuki gulped and a lone bead of sweat ran down her cheek.

"Don't worry, Natsuki-san. You'll do fine and I'm sure she knows just how lucky she is to have you," Sumire said.

"Lucky…yeah…" Natsuki grumbled. She was the one that almost destroyed them in the first place, her mind pointed out. She would be lucky if Shizuru did not laugh in her face for what she had planned.

"I promise you, she is quite lucky to have you," Sumire said with a bright, sincere smile that made her eyes shine.

Natsuki decided to take Sumire's word for it since the saleswoman had yet to steer her wrong. She put the ring away in her pocket, forgoing a bag. She exited the store, having already paid for the ring when she ordered it. She had a couple more items to pick up before the moment of truth.

--------------

Natsuki was pacing in her office. She had everything ready, except for one thing. She had to go get Shizuru. She was not sure if she wanted to give Shizuru time to go change into something other than her uniform or if she should just whisk her away to get things rolling. Whisking was the original plan, but once again, Natsuki was over-analyzing her own plan.

"God, if this was battle, I would make a plan and then act on it. Why not here?" Natsuki asked herself.

The principal growled, upset with herself. She then tore out of her office, marching to Shizuru's office. She yanked the door open to find Shizuru, sitting at her desk and working on the busywork left for her.

"Yes, Natsuki?" Shizuru asked in a calm tone, even though her lover practically burst into her room.

"Leave that stuff for later. I want you to come with me right now," Natsuki replied in a firm tone.

Shizuru was not sure if she had ever heard that tone with Natsuki; well, that tone directed at her anyway. It was more the tone Natsuki used to command others. Shizuru felt herself following her love instinctively. They went down to Natsuki's bike and sped off without Shizuru asking any questions.

As Natsuki's drove, she was proud of herself for being so resolute, but she could feel her nervousness taking over as they sped closer to their destination. She knew that Shizuru was aware of her anxiety too because Shizuru had her arms around Natsuki's shoulders. Shizuru could feel the rapid heartbeat of the principal underneath her fingertips.

"What is wrong with my Natsuki? Why does she seem…scared?" Shizuru wondered.

Shizuru could guess where they were going long before they arrived at the little secret desert oasis. It was a space that Natsuki showed Shizuru after their ordeal and being rid of "that man." So, she was not surprised when the bike stopped and they had to walk the rest of the way. She could understand now why Natsuki was so insistent that they should leave immediately.

"Oh, Natsuki wants to watch the sunset in our private little area!" Shizuru cooed in her mind and then she noticed Natsuki grabbing a bag. She supposed that Natsuki might want to do something else at the oasis, but she could not guess what.

"Come on, let's go," Natsuki said, taking Shizuru's hand.

Shizuru allow herself to be led to their oasis. They sat by "their" tree, near the shining, cerulean pond. Natsuki opened the bag that she was carrying to reveal a picnic basket. Shizuru smiled.

"A little picnic? How delightful…as long as Natsuki didn't cook," Shizuru said quite seriously.

"Idiot, as if I would even try. I got this from that restaurant you like. You know, the one I always mispronounce the name," Natsuki explained with a small smile.

The Third Column smiled brightly upon hearing that. She watched as Natsuki emptied the basket with two well-wrapped meals, two glasses, and a bottle of wine that was still cold. They ate in a very comfortable silence, finishing just in time to focus on the sunset. Shizuru wrapped her arms around her beloved and turned her eyes to look at the fading blue sky.

Shizuru truly loved the sunset from the small oasis. The beautiful way the sky was bathed in orange as the sun ducked behind the tall palm trees brought a sense of calm to her, as if everything was all right in the world. She thought that they would sit there and watch it quietly, but just as the sun hit the tree tops Natsuki moved in front of her.

"Shizuru, I have something that I need to say," Natsuki informed her love.

"Please, say it," Shizuru replied. Maybe she would get an explanation for Natsuki's anxious behavior for so long.

"Shizuru…you've been the sun in my world for longer than I even know. I know sometimes I give you a hard time because my skull is thick as lead and some things I don't get, but I do get that we belong together, through the good times and the bad times. I need you more than I need air. You are the most important person, place, object in my life. Nothing can ever compare to you. For me, you are like this wonderful oasis in the desert and I would love nothing more than to bask in your glory, the warm rays of you love forever and always. So…" Natsuki paused, having to swallow as her throat began to seize. The problem was remedied and she was able to finish. "Marry me, please?" she requested while going into her pocket and pulling out the ring. She looked Shizuru square in the eye while saying the whole thing.

Shizuru's eyes automatically fell to the item being presented to her. Just hearing the question made her short of breath, but seeing the ring made her head swim. The band was pure silver, no doubt influenced by Natsuki's Column tag. The gem was magnificent and it was what had her mind whirling.

The center stone was a glorious red gem that Shizuru thought was a ruby. It was set as if it was the center of a rose, which was crafted out of silver like the band. Then there were emerald cut leaves around the rose. Shizuru was starting to feel a little lightheaded.

"Shizuru…?" Natsuki said because she was not getting an answer.

"Ara…ara…" Shizuru muttered as she put her hand on her forehead and closed her eyes for a long moment, trying to gather herself. She had to will herself not to faint right away.

Natsuki started to laugh nervously, the sound so hollow that it was surprising a human being could make the noise. "Um…you know what…never mind. I guess it was too early…"

As Natsuki was pulling the ring away, Shizuru seemed to gather what was going on. She shook her head, hoping to rid herself of the overwhelming feeling. Her mouth started moving before that, just making sure to stop Natsuki from withdrawing her offer.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Shizuru chanted and then she threw herself onto Natsuki. "Yes, I will marry Natsuki!"

"You will?" Natsuki choked out, as if she could not believe it.

"Of course! How could Natsuki think otherwise?" Shizuru asked. Her eyes were tearful as she felt almost every positive emotion possible wash over her.

Natsuki was about to answer, but did not get the chance. Shizuru leaned in for a deep kiss that chased away all doubt in Natsuki's mind. In fact, she kissed Natsuki breathless and seemingly mindless too because when she pulled away Natsuki had quite the dopey expression on her face.

"Is Natsuki going to put the ring on my finger?" Shizuru asked in a whisper.

"Oh…right." Natsuki took Shizuru's left hand and slowly slid the ring on the appropriate finger. "My rose in the desert," she said in a low, almost seductive voice.

Shizuru felt her insides melt. The day was almost perfect. And then Natsuki said the words that turned the day into _absolutely _perfect.

"Happy birthday, Shizuru," Natsuki said and she leaned in for a fresh kiss.

--------------

Next time: Shizuru reconsiders her answer…and we get to see where Natsuki is from.


	3. Upside down

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

3: Upside down

Natsuki and Shizuru were cuddled up underneath a blanket at their private little desert oasis. They were basking in the afterglow of the setting sun, Natsuki's proposal, and an intimate session. Shizuru was resting her head on Natsuki's bare shoulder while the younger woman had her arm around Shizuru's nude shoulders. Shizuru had her arms around Natsuki also and was holding her in a tender, tight embrace.

"You know what, Natsuki?" Shizuru said as if she had just had an epiphany. The look on her face was like a light bulb went off in her head.

"Yes?" Natsuki answered in an almost sleepy tone. She was not tired, just very relaxed. She was pleased to have gone through with the proposal and to have gotten the desired answer. Now, everything inside of her felt soft and liquid, making her ready to drift off for a nap.

"I changed my mind," the older woman stated quite plainly, as if it was nothing. Her lover knew immediately what she had changed her mind on.

"What!" Natsuki shot up from her resting position, accidentally taking Shizuru with her since she had her arm around her lover. She looked at Shizuru as if she was going to burst into tears. "You're…not…gonna…marry me?" she asked with a tremble in her voice that her girlfriend had never heard before.

Shizuru would have thought that Natsuki's terror was amusing if only it was not so genuine and endearing. Shizuru supposed that she could have rephrased her statement, but did not think about it until now. Well, now all she had to do was explain.

"Calm down, Natsuki. I just have no intention of marrying Natsuki until she keeps her promise," Shizuru said.

"My promise?" Natsuki echoed with a confused look on her face. What promise had she made recently? She wondered if it might have been something said while in the throes of passion.

"Natsuki said that she would allow me to meet her family and she would tell them about us. You have put that off for months now. I would rather we did that before getting married," the tan-haired Otome explained. She wanted their relationship out there and she did not want it to seem like they were going behind Natsuki's family's backs when they did get married. She desired to know where they stood with the Krugers before walking down the aisle.

"Oh…that." Natsuki's demeanor fell again, appearing as if she was utterly defeated. She then suddenly looked at Shizuru with a demonic smirk. "That might explain why I booked us tickets on a ship tomorrow that should get us to Saxas as soon as possible."

Shizuru blinked in surprise because of those words. "You did that?" she asked because she was certain that she had not heard right. Natsuki never thought that far ahead unless she was planning a battle.

"I've got everything planned out. We're going to leave tomorrow. My hope is that we'll be there a few days and then we can spend the rest of the holiday some place pleasant...but with my parents, who the hell knows what will happen," Natsuki sighed and shook her head. She had a bad feeling about visiting her family, but she was aware that it was necessary.

"I'm sure it'll be fine, dear Natsuki. They can't be as bad as you make them seem."

"No, they're a lot worse, especially since that incident."

"Ara, ara, then we shall just have to make things better."

Natsuki almost laughed. _Make things better?_ They would be lucky to leave that madhouse with their wits in tact, she thought.

"You sure you want to do this?" the principal inquired, even though she knew the answer to that. She just had to try to weasel her way out of it, though.

"I want to meet Natsuki's family, especially her parents to make them believe in our love," Shizuru replied with emotion welling up in her eyes. She did not want to hide from Natsuki's family and she did not want to deal with them trying to send any more grooms her love's way.

Natsuki scoffed. "Yeah…"

"And I want to meet Natsuki's brothers if it is possible," the older woman added in, her voice soft, as if she was making a wish. She really wanted to meet them and see what traits her sweet Natsuki got from them. She desired to find out why Natsuki looked up to her brothers so much.

"Fine. We'll go and let them drive us to the nuthouse. We're going to have to have our wedding in straitjackets after I get electro-shock," Natsuki grumbled.

Shizuru laughed a bit and leaned in for a kiss, hoping to lift Natsuki's spirits. Natsuki kissed back of course, but that did not necessarily mean that she was in favor of the idea of seeing her family. Still, it was what Shizuru wanted and more than likely what Shizuru needed. Natsuki just hoped that things did not get out of control.

--------------

Shizuru was surprised to find everything packed for their trip when they got home. Natsuki was almost never so organized in "real" life; business matters, of course, she was an ultra-professional, but taking care of everyday, normal matters never seemed to be high on her priority list. So, it was very impressive to see that Natsuki had them ready to go for the trip and had managed to keep it a secret.

"I think Natsuki is really working hard for my sake," Shizuru remarked with a smirk as she came up behind Natsuki while the principal was getting ready for bed.

"Umm…not really…" Natsuki stuttered. She wondered when, if ever, she was going to get over being nervous around her lover. Ten years should have been enough, she thought.

"You mean that Natsuki is not working for my sake?" the taller woman teased, cat-like grin on her face.

"Eh! That's not what I meant!"

Shizuru chuckled; same Natsuki, always and forever. Before Natsuki could get terribly indignant and defending her words, Shizuru snuggled her face into Natsuki's neck. She purred against the pale flesh and that eased all of her love's nerves.

Natsuki practically melted because of the sensation. She fell onto their bed; Shizuru went down with her. Before Natsuki could think, she was being showered in kisses all over her face and body.

"I think someone's still a little flustered over her ring," Natsuki teased with a dopey grin.

"It is a lovely ring. Where did Natsuki find it?" Shizuru asked curiously while taking a moment to look at her engagement ring. Just the sight of it made her heart speed up. She felt like she would swoon, thinking about how her dearest love had actually asked for the ultimate commitment.

"Um…I had it made…" Natsuki explained with a slight blush, knowing that information was just going to get her lover to overact even more.

Sure enough, Shizuru's eyes seemed to grow and her crimson irises began to shine from the emotion welling up inside of her. Natsuki was attacked once again and decided that if she did not want to be sexed to death that night, even though it was not a bad way to die, then she had better keep her mouth closed as far as details on her plans.

"Ara, ara. So, will Nastuki tell me about my ring being made? How did that go?" Shizuru asked as they settled in for sleep…or so Natsuki hoped.

"Uh…I could tell you about it in the morning," the principal replied while settling into her pillow.

"It is the morning," the older woman remarked while motioning to the clock on the nightstand. It was indeed the morning, a little past one.

Natsuki sighed. "You're just not going to let me get any sleep tonight." It was a statement, not a question. She should have known her fate was sealed, but she did not think that far ahead.

"Of course not. It's Natsuki's own fault really. She's the one that got me all excited by proposing with a custom made ring in our private, secret, romantic oasis with a picnic dinner from my favorite restaurant no less," the gleeful woman explained. She could not wait to tell the world about her engagement and she was going to have to contact her family to let them know exactly how her beloved proposed to her.

The raven-haired Otome sighed. "I didn't know it was going to come with all of this baggage, though!" she pretended to complain and to add injury to insult, she playfully clutched Shizuru's ass while saying the word "baggage."

"Ara, ara, Natsuki-chan is so mean!" Shizuru lightly slapped at her love's shoulder.

"Hey!" Natsuki barked indignantly.

A pout quickly conquered Shizuru's face. "Aw, I can't call my fiancée 'Natsuki-chan'?"

"No and hell no."

Shizuru chuckled a bit; her Natsuki was so adorable. She curled up closer to Natsuki before requesting to know more about the engagement ring. She thought that Natsuki had done such a good job in getting it made; she wanted to know where the idea came from.

"Um…well…I went to…" Natsuki tried to think of the blandest way to put everything because she did not want Shizuru to make a big deal out of it…or so she told herself anyway. She knew that she would feel a little underappreciated if she did not get any praise for her effort.

The raven-haired Otome pressed on through her explanation, thinking that she was doing a good job at making the whole process seem boring because Shizuru let her make it through the whole story. She was surprised that Shizuru did not have to try to tease her when she explained that a saleswoman had to help her because she was so terrible at romantic stuff. When she ended the story and looked into her lover's eyes, she knew that she had not succeeded in making the story mundane and dull for Shizuru.

"Natsuki went through so much for me!" the older Otome squealed and the bath of kisses began again. Kisses were quickly joined by light caresses, which got deeper and deeper with every second.

The principal sighed as if she was annoyed with the behavior, but she did not make any moves to stop Shizuru. She was quite pleased with her lover's reaction to everything. She supposed that she was not as bad at romance as she thought, but she was sure that she would not have been able to do things without the help that she received.

Eventually, Shizuru did let Natsuki get some sleep, but only to make more trouble in the morning. Natsuki thought that things would cool down after a couple of days, but found out that she was wrong…as usual when it came to her predicting that Shizuru would slow down her affection. Even when they left for Saxas, Shizuru was still in quite the amorous mood.

--------------

"I wonder if I'll make it through this boat ride," Natsuki thought to herself while lying in bed. She and Shizuru were in their cabin on the ship bound for her homeland. She was fairly certain that the closer they got to her home, the friskier Shizuru got.

It certainly did not help Natsuki's case when Shizuru saw their cabin on the ship. It was obvious that Natsuki went all out and money was no object when it came to traveling. Natsuki had barely been able to take her jacket off before Shizuru pounced on her and took her right there on the floor. It took hours before they even made it to the bed.

It was surprising that Natsuki could walk under her own power to get off of the boat when it docked in Saxas. Thankfully, she did not have to carry the bags or anything, as she sometimes would when they were on vacation, or she would have collapsed two steps out. A porter traveled a few steps behind her and Shizuru as they exited the ship.

"So, how will we be getting to Natsuki's home?" Shizuru asked curiously. She was a bit eager to be there and it could be seen in her eyes. It was taking all of her self-control to avoid skipping, but she was bouncing on her toes just a little.

Shizuru actually did not know much about Saxas. The country was not a major world player and the only person that she ever met that was from the country was her precious Natsuki. She did know that it was located on an island with two other nations. The island was a part of a cluster of islands, but she did not even know the names of all of those. The general area was just closed off to the rest of the world.

"We'll be taking a carriage," Natsuki replied and she motioned to an open carriage at the far end of the dock. It bore the royal symbol of a shield with a wolf's head on it, letting everyone know that it was a royal carriage. It was a light blue with ivory trim and a pair of small, powerful horses at the front.

"A carriage?" Shizuru echoed as she cast her eyes to take in the sight. She wondered if the ride was a part of her lover's hidden romantic nature or just the preferred ride of the royal family. She actually doubted that since Natsuki's preferred ride was a motorcycle.

"Yeah, sorry about that. It's easier to get a carriage than a car around here," Natsuki vaguely explained.

"No, it's quite fine, Natsuki. It's a nice day for a carriage ride with my dearest Natsuki," Shizuru replied with a smile.

Natsuki decided not to argue and took Shizuru's hand to lead her to the carriage. Shizuru was a bit surprised that Natsuki was holding her hand since the principal was very much against any public displays of affection. But, since Shizuru liked that they were holding hands, she was not going to say anything. The gesture was meant to reassure her anyway; Natsuki was not going to cower or back down while at home. She was going to let everyone, not just in her family, but _everyone_ know that she and Shizuru were together.

There was a footman to help the two ladies into the carriage, but Natsuki waved him off. She helped Shizuru up and stepped up on her own. They settled into the seat while their luggage was loaded into the back. Shizuru slowly curled up next to Natsuki; she wanted to see how far her love was willing to take their little public displays. Natsuki put her arm around Shizuru's waist while Shizuru rested her head on Natsuki's shoulder. They ended up as close as they could in such a position.

"So, how long will it take to get to Natsuki's home by carriage?" Shizuru asked curiously as the carriage began moving.

"It's about an hour through a lot of open country side," Natsuki answered.

"Perhaps Natsuki will tell me about Saxas on the way to her home then."

"Sure. You know it's not a very big country. Hell, we've only got one major city and that's the capital, which is called Kugan. A lot of people in the country are fishermen, farmers, or craftsman. The crafts are actually the one thing our country is well known for. We have a lot of artisans that still make things by hand and that sells for a lot around the world. Our woodworks and pottery are considered the best in the world, especially wood."

Shizuru nodded. "My father furnished our entire home from items made in Saxas. I never knew the reason they were so popular is because it is all made by hand."

"Yeah. Our wood works are the best in the world because we grow a variety of different, but strong trees. I thought all of that dark wood furniture at your home looked like it came from here."

"I can see why you take such pride in your home. The craftsmen are geniuses," the older woman declared, sounding proud herself.

"It is our main source of revenue, the exports. One of the reasons the country is still…old-fashioned I guess you'd call it… is because everyone is a little nervous that if we change or get more modern, we'll lose that touch with making such lovely crafts and so the country has been the same for like two hundred years. We've got a few modern things coming in, but there are some extravagant idiots, like me and my brothers, who have to take things a step further. But, a lot of people have small pieces of technology. Last I heard, television was finally catching on, but last time I was here, most people either had a radio or nothing at all. This might be one of the last spots where people still read actual books for entertainment," Natsuki joked.

Shizuru chuckled a bit. Despite the simplicity that she described, Natsuki's voice held deep pride in her homeland. So far, she could see that Natsuki's words held true. They had passed a few farms and the ocean was still in view where Shizuru was able to see some houses that she assumed belonged to fishermen. It was a quiet, quaint atmosphere. She almost could not believe that Natsuki came from such a place.

"Natsuki, how did you get into motorcycles and such if carriages are the preferred method of travel around here?" Shizuru asked curiously.

"My brothers. It started with my eldest brother. He went away to military school and when he came back home for vacation, he was talking about bikes. Apparently, there was a club or something like that at school for him," Natsuki explained.

"Your brother went to military school?"

"They all did. It's a tradition for the noblemen, including the royal family, to go to the oldest military school in the country. The school doesn't allow women, so the girls can't go."

"I'm shocked Natsuki's brothers didn't try to smuggle her in," the tan-haired woman remarked with a smile.

"I'm sure they had a plan for it. They argued with my father over it. They honestly didn't understand why they had to go there and I couldn't. I wanted to know too. I mean, all my life, I had been doing the same things as they had for fourteen years. We didn't understand why that should change. And then he hit us with sending me to Garderobe."

"What did your brothers think of that?"

"We all honestly had the same reaction."

Shizuru arched an eyebrow. "Which was?" She had a feeling this was going to be priceless.

"But, that's a girl school!" Natsuki replied with feigned shock. She laughed a bit as she thought about it. Shizuru smiled a bit in amusement; her dearest Natsuki was too adorable, especially since she could see Natsuki saying just that.

"And yet you were accepted," Shizuru teased.

"I suppose it's fine. I got to meet you, after all, even though you do nothing, but give me grief," the Second Column countered.

Shizuru laughed again. They were silent for a few moments and Shizuru got to take in the scenery again. They were coming toward a forest. She knew from Natsuki telling a few stories of her childhood that Saxas had plenty of thick forests, which she supposed made sense for all of the crafts that came from the country. As they entered, Shizuru tried to look into the forests, but she found that the trees were packed in so tightly that she could only see a few yards before everything became dark. Were all of the forests similar to that one? How could Natsuki play in such areas then?

"I guess this forest is starting to grow back now," Natsuki said out of the blue.

"What do you mean?" Shizuru asked.

"When I was here last time, this is one of the forests that was open to logging. To make sure that we don't lose all the forests to greedy people, only certain forests are open for logging at certain times and it rotates. So, here, if you cut down a tree in a forest not open for logging, you're poaching," Natsuki explained with a laugh. She found it humorous because they were the only country on the planet where a tree could be poached.

"Poaching a tree?" Shizuru said curiously. It sounded quite odd. "What about for heat and cooking? You said that the country has not changed in about two hundred years, so you would still use wood for heat, correct?"

"Some people do. If you get a permit, it's fine. A lot of people, the first modern things they get when they get enough money tend be things like modern stoves, or heaters, and stuff we tend to take for granted."

"Is your home like that?"

Natsuki rolled her eyes. "Where I live is decadent, even by my standards. You'll see when we get there."

Shizuru smiled, thinking about where Natsuki lived. It was hard to imagine. Sometimes, it was hard to even remember that her Natsuki was a princess. It was not something that Natsuki advertised and her behavior…well…it was hard to imagine that Natsuki could possibly have a royal upbringing, until one saw her in action when dealing with diplomats and heads of state anyway.

"Are we close?" Shizuru asked after a long stint of silence. They emerged from the forest and that was why she made her inquiry.

"We should be close," Natsuki answered, looking ahead of them. She figured that they had about a half hour more to ride. There was a bit more open country that they had to go through and then they would come to Kruger Palace, which was where her family would be waiting.

"Natsuki, I must say, what I have seen of your country so far is quite beautiful. I wish that I could have grown up some place with so much open land and trees," the older Otome commented.

"What're you talking about? Your house is huge with acres of land. There are plenty of trees too."

"It's nothing like this. This is real. My house is artificial. It was deigned to look that way while this is how it is naturally. So, like I said, your country is beautiful," Shizuru stated in a low tone.

Natsuki was not sure what to say, so she went with the simple, "Thank you."

The Third Column smiled again. They were quiet again for a long moment until a dirt bike raced by them. They both appeared curious.

"A brother?" Shizuru asked.

"Probably. We'll see when we get to the manor."

And the silence returned. Shizuru was about to speak again when the manor came into view. Her breath caught in her chest as she saw the royal home of the Kruger dynasty. Natsuki really should have prepared her for the grand sight, she thought.

The royal palace, which really had little business in calling itself a manor, was about the size of a village. They were coming at the manor from the side, so she was able to see that there was a large, glistening lake in the front yard of the palace. There was a paved pure white road around the lake and leading through a huge garden, which was between the main house and the lake.

The gardens were vast with narrow paths cut through them, almost as if the walkway was a design that Shizuru could not quite make out from the back of the carriage. The main house was cut off from the gardens by an alabaster wall, but she could see the top of the palace and its ivory shine.

"I wonder if my brothers will want to go for a swim sometime later," Natsuki said, looking out into the huge lake.

"A swim?" Shizuru echoed and then she realized something. "Natsuki, is it summer here?"

"Yeah. I thought you knew that the season was the opposite here."

"I didn't realize we crossed over the equator," Shizuru admitted.

"Yup. It's summer here. So, here, you're actually the summer baby."

Shizuru could not help chuckling at that. She actually thought being born in the winter suited Natsuki more anyway. Now, she did wonder how it was Natsuki got her name, though.

"How is it that Natsuki is named after the wrong season?" Shizuru asked curiously.

"I think it's because my mother had me while she was out of the country. It was summer where she was and she might have been trying to be funny. I don't know. It never really occurred to me ask. I just accepted it as my name," the emerald-eyed principal explained with a shrug.

Shizuru nodded and then went back to looking around. She started taking in the sight of the breathtaking gardens as they went through the main path up to the palace itself. They went through the alabaster wall and entered a magnificent courtyard with statues lining the walls and a fountain in the middle. In the courtyard, Shizuru was able to see the palace.

"This is where Natsuki grew up?" Shizuru muttered in disbelief.

The royal dwelling was huge; it fit the yard and things that stretched out in front of it. It was only two floors, if the rows of windows meant anything, but it still appeared to be about six stories high. It was decorated with ivory and precious stones, bits of gold that shone in the hot sun.

"Well, Shizuru, welcome to my home," Natsuki said as the carriage finally came to a halt at the front doors.

--------------

Next time: Meet the Kruger family.


	4. Stat

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

4: Stat

Shizuru was about to marvel over the sheer glory of the home that her Natsuki came from, but was distracted as a motor bike revved not too far from them and the bike charged over to them. The rider stopped right along side of them; Shizuru was able to tell that was the biker that passed them when they were in the way to the place.

"Nat-kun!" a joyful, but muffled voice shouted from behind the protective dark blue helmet that the biker was wearing. The helmet was navy blue and white, matching the leathers that the rider had on.

Shizuru watched as her darling Natsuki's face lit up as she immediately recognized the voice calling her by what Shizuru thought was an odd nickname. Shizuru had never seen Natsuki visibly bloom, except when they were alone anyway. She could guess already that they were in the presence of one of Natsuki's big brothers.

"Kenta!" Natsuki grinned as she leaped out of the carriage as if she was jumping over a fence. She landed with ease, despite the fact that she was wearing her usual shoes, which had somewhat slippery soles. In the back of her mind, she wondered why she had bother to put on her "work" shoes during a vacation.

Shizuru was aware that Kenta was the youngest out of the brothers. He was barely a year older than Natsuki; most of the time when Natsuki mentioned him, she actually just referred to him as her twin. Because of Natsuki's knack for calling him her twin, Shizuru was surprised that he did not look anything like Natsuki when he took the helmet off.

Kenta was sporting short blonde hair with a dyed blue streak through the middle of it. His eyes were a strange light grey mixed with a touch of blue in it. His smooth features and hairless face made him look much younger than he was; he actually appeared to be younger than Natsuki, but not by much since she did not look her age either. Apparently, shortness ran in their family if his and Natsuki's height meant anything because he was barely an inch taller than Natsuki was. He was standing shoulder to shoulder with Shizuru, but she still thought that he was short for a guy.

"The wandering brother finally comes home," Kenta remarked while grabbing Natsuki into a rather rough hug, which she readily returned. They both hit each other on the back with enough force to hurt other people, but they did not seem to notice.

"You know it has to happen every few years. Oh, Kenta, let me introduce you to Shizuru," Natsuki said while turning her attention to her fiancée.

Natsuki walked back over to the carriage and opened it, despite the fact that there were servants coming to do that. She then held her hand out for Shizuru and helped her lady out of their ride. She looked back at her brother when Shizuru was secure next to her.

"So, this is Shizuru, huh? I've heard a lot about you," Kenta said to the tawny-haired Otome while reaching out to shake her hand. Apparently, informal behavior when no one was around was also something that ran in the family, Shizuru thought.

"I wish I could say the same," Shizuru remarked while accepting his hand.

"What? Nat-kun doesn't talk about me? Funny, whenever one of us remembers to call the other, she always has a story about you. But, I suppose that's how it is when you're in love," Kenta said as if it was the most normal thing to say. He even shrugged in quite the nonchalant manner.

"Kenta!" Natsuki huffed, trying her best to fight down a blush that had invaded her cheeks. She punched her brother in the shoulder, which knocked him back a little. He chuckled a bit as he righted himself and then shrugged again.

"Hey, I call 'em how I see 'em, Nat-kun. Be happy to have that much," the blonde young man said with surprising seriousness.

"You know I am," Natsuki replied while taking Shizuru's hand into her own and holding onto it tightly.

Shizuru had to glance down at their hands because of the gesture. The tawny-haired woman blinked hard in shock and wondered if she was seeing things. She was not sure the last time Natsuki was willing to put on the slightest public display of affection. She could not help smiling and squeezed Natsuki's hand tightly in hers.

"Well, I suppose I should get cleaned off. I might be forced to entertain your guest and I don't want to get such a princess dirty," Kenta joked. He waved his farewell to them and pushed his bike away. Natsuki waved to his back with her free hand.

"Your twin is nothing like I would expect him. I thought that he would be shy, much like my Natsuki," Shizuru noted, giving her lover's hand another little squeeze.

"He used to be, back before going to military school. He's no more out of his shell than I am, though. You just grow up and adapt," Natsuki explained.

Shizuru smiled because it was a very good response and also Natsuki failed to realize everything that she said. "So, Natsuki agrees that she is shy?"

"I didn't say that!" Natsuki objected while making a face as if there was a bad smell in the area.

Shizuru chuckled a bit while her lover just sighed while shaking her head, like she was giving up. Natsuki then took a deep breath and held onto Shizuru's hand just a little tighter. She turned her attention to the palace, glanced at her fiancée, and then looked at the palace again. She started walking toward the doors of the palace with purpose in her stride. She was like a woman on a mission with her shoulders squared and her head held high with pride. Servants bowed while holding the front doors open for the couple.

Shizuru's breath hitched in her chest as she saw the foyer of Natsuki's home. The ceiling itself, covered in tasteful, colorful frescos, seemed to go on forever. She felt like a speck in the universe as her eyes tried to roam the area, but everything seemed to go on forever. The whole palace made Shizuru feel humbled. She had never felt like that before, not even in the palace in Windbloom. She took a step closer to Natsuki, almost as if she was frightened.

"We can go see my parents first and then I'll show you around, okay?" Natsuki suggested. She just wanted to get her parents out of the way. After that, she could search for her brothers and have pleasant introductions, she figured.

"If that is what Natsuki wishes," Shizuru answered in a low, slightly dazed voice, obviously still trying to take in the whole home.

Shizuru was able to snap out of her awe as Natsuki's words reached her brain completely and she smiled a little. She was looking forward to meeting her love's parents, even though she was not sure if they would approve of the relationship or the engagement. She just knew that Natsuki would not call off the engagement just because her parents were not happy about it, so she felt secure with that knowledge.

Natsuki decided to find out where her parents were, so she asked the nearest servant. "Do you know where my parents are?" she inquired, speaking to one of the doormen.

"They are in the King's main study, ouji-sama," the servant answered.

Natsuki nodded, knowing just where to go now. Shizuru noted the odd title that the servant called Natsuki, but assumed that it might have just been a mistake from force of habit. Surely the servant was so accustomed to dealing with Natsuki's brothers that he accidentally addressed Natsuki by the same title that he used for most of her brothers, Shizuru silently reasoned.

The couple marched deeper into the extensive, decadent palace, with Natsuki leading the way. They walked by marble statues that Natsuki explained were craved by local artists, but all of the paintings on the walls were done by foreigners; painting was not a craft many people took up in Saxas. Natsuki did not bother explaining why painting was not often done by people in Saxas, just saying it was something in their culture. Shizuru accepted that; a lot of Natsuki's explanations about her home nation boiled down to "that's our culture." Shizuru knew that it was because Natsuki hated to deeply explain anything if she was not working.

At the end of the long corridor, Natsuki started to slow her pace. She halted in front of a pair of large, wooden doors, which had carvings of wolves on them. The principal of Garderobe took a deep breath.

"Is Natsuki okay?" Shizuru asked curiously, a tad worried about her love.

"Fine," Natsuki lied. She was trying her best to steel herself for this meeting. Through out the past few months, she had been barked on by both of her parents because of her breakup with Takeda and it seemed with each phone call, her parents got angrier and angrier with her without explaining why. She assumed it was because they were aware that she was in a relationship with Shizuru, but she was not sure because they never said so and she dared not bring it up.

"Are you certain? We can hold off on this for a little longer if you would like," Shizuru offered in a low, kind voice. She did not like the fact that Natsuki appeared ready to faint. She had never seen such a thing, even when Natsuki was involved in cutthroat meetings with leaders of nations.

"No, I'm not putting this off anymore. I have to deal with them and they have to deal with us," the younger woman stated with a confidence that she did not truly feel. Still, she took a deep breath and felt her courage gathering.

Natsuki raised her hand and knocked on the door loudly. She was not surprised that a servant answered the door and allowed her entrance to the room. She pulled Shizuru inside with her and scanned the room for her parents.

The royal couple was seated at the back of the room, relaxing from what could be seen. Shizuru first spotted Natsuki's mother, who Natsuki clearly took after as far as looks went. Queen Saeko Kruger was reading a book. Shizuru knew the woman from seeing her on television a few times and in photographs in magazines. She seemed more interested in being on camera and in the spot light than her husband, Ryo Kruger.

King Ryo Kruger was sitting at his desk, writing in a ledger. He appeared to be a short man with tan skin and blonde hair, which was cut short and brushed back. His mocha brown eyes were stuck on his ledger and he did not even look up to see who had entered the room.

Shizuru searched her memory and tried to think of a time that she might have seen Natsuki's father. He was not on television often and he never gave interviews. She supposed that she saw him at some ceremony years ago, but she could not be sure. She wondered if he was where her love got her bashful demeanor from; after all, Natsuki hated to be on television too, especially if she was expected to say something into the cameras.

"Well, Mom and Dad, if you're just going to sit there, I might as well just go back home," Natsuki remarked.

The King and Queen seemed surprised to hear the voice of their daughter. They both looked up at the same time, heads snapping to face forward. Natsuki chuckled a bit, but she did not sound too amused. Her parents stood up, both with a grace that Shizuru was certain was not genetic because she had never seen Natsuki move in such a way.

"Natsuki-chan," Saeko practically cooed with slightly open arms, wanting a hug from twenty feet away apparently.

"Mom!" Natsuki barked at her mother just like she would anyone else that used that horrible nickname. It was thanks to her mother that she thought it was such a horrible name.

"What? I think I have earned the right to call you such a thing after carrying such an unruly child for nine months," Saeko remarked as she seemed to glide over to Natsuki and the pair hugged. Natsuki, as expected, did not seem quite as into the embrace as her mother and tried to pull away after a few seconds, but was not allowed to escape until her mother was ready to let her go.

Natsuki almost had to bite her tongue to not say something smart in reply. She turned her attention to her father, putting out a hand and praying for a handshake. He did not grant her wish and yanked her into a hug. She groaned, but thankfully he did not hold her as long as her mother did.

Natsuki took a moment to straighten out her clothing and she stood back next to Shizuru. Shizuru watched silently as her lover took a deep breath and released it slowly. Natsuki rolled her shoulders before squaring them and grabbing a hold of Shizuru's hand.

"Shizuru, this is my father and mother, King Ryo Kruger the Fourth and Queen Saeko Kruger. Mom, Dad, this is Archmeister Shizuru Viola," Natsuki introduced everyone and her mother cut in before she got a chance to finish.

"Viola? That name sounds somewhat familiar," Saeko said with a finger to her chin, trying to place the surname.

"Shizuru's father is the Viscount of Naipo at the edge of Windbloom," Natsuki explained.

"Ah, yes. Viscount Viola. We have met the man on a few occasions. He was charming," Saeko remarked while Ryo grunted, sounding quite like he disagreed.

"Charming isn't the word I'd use," Natsuki muttered under her breath; apparently concurring with her father on the matter. Shizuru gave her hand a squeeze to let her know that her comment was heard.

"I am certain that the daughter of such a charming gentleman is quite the lady. I am glad Natsuki-chan found someone to model herself after. Surely, you have taken the time to show Natsuki to be ladylike rather than a tomboy," Saeko commented, eyes shining with hope as she spoke directly to Shizuru, almost as if Natsuki was not even there.

"Mom, you're being embarrassing," Natsuki said, a blush staining her face and Shizuru was a little upset that she had not caused it. The principal did note that her parents did not seem the least bit angry with her at the moment, even with Shizuru right next to her. She wondered if it was possible that they did not know about her relationship with the Archmeister. If that was the case…then why the hell were they so pissed with her over the phone?

"Nonsense, Natsuki-chan. I am glad that you have a cultured friend," Saeko argued in a quite congenial tone.

Natsuki frowned for a moment, but then her face returned to normal. Okay, apparently, her parents did not know about the relationship. She wondered if "that man" had not told them or if they were just in shock over his words. It did not matter because she was going to straighten the whole matter out right now.

"Actually, Shizuru is not my friend. Shizuru is my girlfriend, my fiancé," the Second Column confessed and found it oddly easy. It would seem that almost losing Shizuru had given her strength to do what was necessary to keep Shizuru and continue to hold her head high.

Natsuki's parents appeared to be quite confused as soon as her words registered. They blinked hard, both in fashions very similar to Natsuki when she was perplexed. Their eyes scanned nothing as they tried to process the news in their brains, but they seemed to be coming up short.

To help their thoughts along, Natsuki took Shizuru's left hand and put the engagement ring on display. The show did not seem to help the parents' thinking along any faster. And then suddenly, Ryo began laughing; the sound was highly amused and deep, coming straight from his gut.

"I see, it is a joke. Quite funny, Natsuki," Ryo said through his genuine chuckles.

"It is not a joke, Dad. I am going to marry Shizuru," Natsuki stated plainly. She doubted that she could say it in simpler than that. Her father continued to laugh, seeming to think that it was a joke while her mother took in the seriousness of her statement and expression.

"Natsuki-chan, you cannot marry your friend. If you have failed to notice, you are two women. I know your brothers have led you to believe otherwise, but you are female and you must marry a man," Saeko replied quite calmly and almost slow, as if she thought that she was trying to get her daughter to understand the concept.

"I know what I am, Mom. I'm female, in love with Shizuru, and going to marry her sometime soon. You can accept that or you can argue with me over a matter that isn't going to change," Natsuki said.

Ryo and Saeko eyed their daughter, obviously trying to take in the words that Natsuki was speaking. Shizuru could tell from the expression in their eyes that the information just was not computing at the moment. Natsuki was just waiting for the reaction, expecting yelling to come her way at any second.

"Natsuki, if you feel so closely to your friend that you would come here and claim to want to marry her, that is well and good. I'm glad you have a friend that you're so close with and such a well mannered girl too. You really should stop playing at such a game, though. I doubt it is healthy," the Queen said in a slightly reprimanding tone, speaking like Natsuki was a toddler that was just caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

Natsuki was stuck dumb for a moment from that. "Mom, she's not my friend and I'm not playing at anything. We're getting married," she declared.

Saeko giggled a bit, which caused her husband to laugh as he was starting to get her line of thinking. Their poor daughter was just confused, they both thought. Confused and probably trying to figure out a way of getting out of marriage. The latter thought caused their anger to surface and the frowns settled on both of their faces.

"Natsuki-chan, if you think you can get out of marrying someone by coming here and claiming that you will marry your friend, you are quite wrong. You will get married and no silly stunt like this will stop that," her father proclaimed loudly.

"Shoot me please," Natsuki muttered while shaking her head. She actually wished that they would start screaming at her for wanting to marry Shizuru. At least it would show that they understood that she was dating Shizuru. "Mom, Dad, you're not listening to me. I am not trying to get out of getting married, Shizuru is not my friend, and I am going to marry her," the principal explained slowly.

"Play this game if you like, Natsuki. You will get married just like your brothers. You are fortunate that we have not just arranged for your marriage like we did with your brothers," Ryo stated while pointing at her to let her know that he was being serious.

"If you play this game too long, I assure you, we will arrange for you to marry someone. Now, it is nice that your friend wishes to help you since you have this unfounded fear of marriage, but this is not the proper way to go about it," Saeko reprimanded the pair.

Natsuki sighed; she could feel a headache coming on. "You're not listening to me at all," she said, not that she was surprised. At least she found out why they were always so upset with her; they must have really, _really_ wanted her to marry Takeda. The thought made her shudder.

"Viola-san, you really should not let my silly daughter talk you into such things. It is nice that you are such a good friend to her, but I'm sure you know this is not proper," Saeko commented.

Shizuru smiled, her usual smile, the one made for everyone on the planet to see and think that she was the most charming creature to walk the planet. "I enjoy letting your silly daughter talk me into things. I suppose it would be improper no matter how you look at it," she countered.

"That is true," Saeko concurred as did her husband.

Natsuki seemed to be the only one not quite following. "How would it be improper?" she asked her fiancée.

"Well, Natsuki, a princess, would be marrying the daughter of a mere viscount," Shizuru pointed out. She was testing the waters to see just how status and social conscience Natsuki's parents were.

"The idea would be laughable even if you were a boy," Ryo said to Natsuki.

"It would?" Natsuki asked with a twisted, perplexed look on her face. What did it matter? Shizuru was a noble; that should have been enough for them, she thought. Of course, she really did not care one way or another since Shizuru was Shizuru.

"We already went through this with Shuichi, so you know the answer to that," Ryo stated soundly.

"Well, Natsuki-chan, pretend that we have taught you some semblance of manners and show your friend around. We shall talk about this marriage thing soon enough," Saeko informed her daughter.

"Wait, wait, wait, it is fine and good for Shizuru to be my friend, but if we were anything more, her status would be a problem?" Natsuki asked just to be sure. It would seem the Krugers were having a ball confusing each other.

"Humoring you, if you could possibly be anything more with Viola-san, it would not work out. She is just a viscount's daughter. She might as well be a peasant," Ryo said without thinking apparently or maybe without caring and he dismissed the matter with a flick of his hand.

"Wait, wait, wait, how the fuck does that work? Takeda didn't have a noble ranking at all!" Natsuki pointed out, loathing have to say his name out loud, but damn it, she needed thing to make sense.

"Natsuki-chan, language," Saeko scolded the Otome.

"How does this work, though? Takeda was a guardsman or something," Natsuki stated, scratching the top of her head.

"Takeda could have been groomed for a role in the military, which would have been just as good as long as he became a top officer quickly," Ryo informed her in a collected tone that made his daughter just want to throw up. They dared to have excuses ready for Takeda, but would not accept Shizuru?!

Natsuki glared at her father. "You mean by you manipulating his rank? Well, Shizuru is an Otome and one of the highest order. Does that count for nothing?" she demanded to know.

"We do not recognize Otome in this country," her father replied with grim seriousness.

The principal of Garderobe growled. No matter what she said, she knew that they would have answers as to why she should marry Takeda and why she would never be able to marry Shizuru. Bottom line, they wanted her to marry Takeda and she certainly refused. They probably saw it as her last chance, thinking that she was practically an old maid already.

"So, what you're saying is, no matter what, Shizuru just isn't good enough?" Natsuki asked through gritted teeth. Her anger was starting to make a familiar vein poke out of her neck.

"She is fine for a friend," Ryo answered with a shrug. Saeko nodded in agreement.

Natsuki scowled; that seemed to be the worst thing that they could say to her. "Maybe we should go, Shizuru," she suggested through gritted teeth. She was offended for her lover; how sweet, her love thought.

Shizuru shrugged, knowing that they would not get any further with the discussion at the moment. She supposed that they would have to try again at some point because she really did not want to get married to Natsuki without their relationship being upfront and completely understood. Anything else would seem dishonest to her and she would never want her relationship with Natsuki to seem that way.

Natsuki practically tugged Shizuru out of the room, not wanting to suffer her parents' presence anymore. She did not care how poorly it reflected on her manners either to yank Shizuru away from the royal couple. Her parents thankfully allowed her to flee, more than likely realizing the time would only get worse if they continued on.

"I can't believe them," Natsuki muttered, speaking to herself, but aloud.

"Natsuki should calm down. No matter what, I'm sure this went better than expected," Shizuru commented.

"No, it didn't. I thought I'd have to put up a fight because you're a girl. I didn't think I'd have to fight because of your status too. I thought it would be fine that you're a noble and that would be that, but I guess not," the shorter woman stated bitterly. It was always something with her parents!

"Well, all of your other brothers are married, right?"

"Yes."

"What status are their wives?" the tawny-haired woman inquired.

Natsuki took a moment to think about it. "Hmm…. Duchess… Princess… Princess… Duchess," she answered to the best of her knowledge.

"Well, there you go. I am only the lowly daughter of a poor viscount," Shizuru said, feigning tears.

Natsuki chuckled a bit. "I wouldn't care if you were a beggar on the street. I'd still marry you."

Shizuru smiled. "Natsuki is just too sweet. This will just take time. We luckily have that thanks to the winter break."

Natsuki nodded. "Well, I guess you're right. I guess I can show you around and maybe try to find my brothers. Hopefully, they take things as well as Kenta did."

The Third Column wrapped her arms around Natsuki and smiled brightly. "Please, lead the way, Nat-kun," she remarked, earning a groan from her beloved.

"I might have to get a divorce already," the principal remarked.

--------------

Next time: Meet another of Natsuki's brothers, as well as her "secret fan club."


	5. Walk in the park

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

5: Walk in the park

Natsuki decided to give Shizuru the grand tour of her home, though she was clearly distracted by looking for her brothers. She tried all of their usual haunts: the pool, the handball court, the library (hey, they were not complete muscle-heads), the arcade, and all the areas in between. There were no signs of her brothers; even Kenta seemed to have vanished.

"Maybe they went into town," Natsuki muttered to herself, trying to figure out where her brothers might be. They could have been out riding too, which brought a smile to her face. She could not wait to ride with them again.

"Ara, ara, Natsuki better be thinking about me," Shizuru said, interrupting her love's thoughts.

"Hmm? Why?" the raven-haired principal inquired.

"Because her smile is so radiant," the slightly taller woman remarked as she attached herself to her lover's arm.

"Smile?" Natsuki echoed as if she did not know what such a thing was and then she realized that she was probably grinning from ear to ear. She immediately shook the expression off, putting on a stoic face that was more normal for her.

"What was Natsuki thinking about if it was not about me? Oh, I know what Natsuki was thinking about," Shizuru said as if she had an epiphany, going so far as putting her index finger to her chin. The smile that spread across her face was demonic, implying certain things that made her girlfriend panic.

"I wasn't thinking that!" Natsuki shouted in quite the unladylike manner.

"Ara? Natsuki was not thinking about bikes?" Shizuru asked with a curious tilt of her head.

"Oh…that." The younger woman chuckled sheepishly and scratched her cheek. "Yeah, I guess I was thinking about that."

"Of course. What did Natsuki think I was referring to?" Shizuru teased.

The Garderobe principal, knowing that she was being led into a trap, decided to do the only thing that she could: change the subject. "Hey, you want to see my bedroom?" she asked and groaned mentally as she realized that would only give her love something else to tease her with.

"Ara, ara, Natsuki wants to show me her bedroom! I can only imagine what is on her mind now!" Shizuru said with a playful smile and a suggestive wink.

Natsuki sighed and decided to just give up. And to think, she had a lifetime of this to look forward to. Strangely enough, she would not have it any other way. She figured that she had to be insane.

The raven-haired Otome led her guest through the palace to a specific wing that she described as "hers." Shizuru wondered if the entire wing did belong to Natsuki. The décor did not suggest that it did; the corridors were decorated just as richly as the rest of the palace and Natsuki was not known for her decorating skills.

On the way to the room, the couple passed a few servants, mostly maids. They were cleaning the halls and as the couple passed by some of the maids started giggling. Natsuki ignored the noise while Shizuru found it odd. What were the servants laughing about? She strained ears to hear if they were saying anything along with their laughs; they were mostly talking about "ouji-sama's back." Weird, even by Shizuru's standards, and it only got weirder as they got to the end of the hall, where there were two large arched golden and ivory doors.

Just as Natsuki was about to turn the door knob, two maids charged in from the right and the left, seemingly coming out of nowhere. They came to a halt before they collided with each other, standing in front of Natsuki and Shizuru. They were dressed in plain, maid uniforms, and they wasted no time bowing to Natsuki.

The pair appeared as if they were in their late teens, possibly early twenties. One was much taller than the other. The tall one had long, chocolate hair that hung freely down her back. There were two strips of her hair cut short to frame her tanned oval face. Her deep brown eyes shined with delight as she straightened herself out while standing before Natsuki.

The shorter girl seemed to be just as ecstatic as her counter part. Her pale face was alight with joy, causing her sea green eyes to sparkle. Her blood-red hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail. She seemed ready to grin from ear to ear while making sure to stand straight.

"Let me get that for you, ouji-sama!" the brunette maid offered and she quickly opened the door.

"I'll get the other one, ouji-sama!" the redhead said and she pulled open the other door, even though it was unnecessary.

"Okay, thanks, Suzume, Ran," Natsuki said while stepping into the room.

Shizuru was right behind Natsuki, but she did keep her attention on the two maids, whose faces seemed to light up brighter than the night sky when fireworks were set off. It would seem they were happy just to hear Natsuki say their names. Shizuru would not have been surprised to see hearts in their eyes. _Does my Natsuki have a fan club?_

"Ouji-sama said thanks to me first," the taller maid whispered to her counterpart.

"What! Ouji-sama just said your name first!" the redhead hissed as they eased the doors closed.

Shizuru laughed, hearing the bits of argument over who Natsuki thanked first. She then turned her attention to Natsuki, who seemed totally oblivious to the maids fighting over her. Natsuki did turn to face Shizuru and noticed the older woman chuckling.

"What's so funny?" Natsuki asked curiously, wondering if she had managed to make a fool out of herself without even knowing.

"The servants calling Natsuki 'ouji-sama.' It must drive your mother crazy," Shizuru pointed out.

"Oh, that. They've done that since I was little. My mother tried to force them to call me 'ojou-sama' or 'hime' or just about anything, but my brothers ganged up on the servants. The servants resisted my brothers for a while until, you know, they figured out I was one of those little monkeys," Natsuki explained with a fond smile capturing her features.

A thoughtful look took over crimson eyes. "And your mother just allows them to call you that?"

"It pains her, but she picks her battles wisely…or tries to anyway. Instead of trying to change all of the servants, she thought that she could change me. She added all of these etiquette routines to my tutoring schedule, which I already thought was too long anyway. It really cut into my time with my brothers, so I hated it and always did the opposite of what the instructors told me. I was a little terror at the time," the principal admitted.

The older woman smiled and laughed. "I could imagine a bad little Natsuki." The image fit the rebel biker Natsuki that she met so many years ago.

"Oh, I was bad then. They couldn't even take me out to parties. I made sure to embarrass my parents at every turn," Natsuki confessed as if it was nothing.

"Ara, ara, I hope our children are not like you," Shizuru remarked.

Natsuki only laughed a bit and looked away as if she was embarrassed. Shizuru took the pause in conversation as a chance to look around the bedroom. Oh, yes, it certainly screamed Natsuki, even now.

The space was huge, first and foremost, about the size of their entire apartment back at Garderobe. It was painted blue, a smoothing ocean blue. There were posters all over the walls, not of boys or girls, but bikes; Natsuki's first love. There were dirt bikes and motorcycles of all types littering the walls, almost as if they were wall paper.

There was a large television on the wall and it was hooked up to what Shizuru remembered was like a drug for Natsuki back when they were teenagers, a video game console. There were stacks of games next the television. The controllers for it were on the floor, as if no one would dare touch them. Shizuru could understand it as she had once witnessed Natsuki go on a rampage when "someone" took her controllers back at Garderobe; it had been a joke that Natsuki still did not see the humor in.

There were piles of magazines on Natsuki's bookshelves, but not many books. There were some slingshots thrown about the place; some of them undoubtedly handmade and others appeared to be purchased. Those were the things that clearly stated that they were in Natsuki's room.

The furniture fit the palace décor better than it did Natsuki's taste. There was an ivory desk in the corner, and Shizuru could not easily picture young Natsuki sitting at it to work. There was a small table with chairs in another corner that seemed to be there in case Natsuki had company to entertain; Shizuru could not picture that either. The bed was huge with cream-colored spread on it, obviously on there to match the canopy that hung over the bed. Shizuru tried to picture a small Natsuki curled up in the giant bed and was willing to bet it was a cute sight.

"Ara, ara, I'm surprised at how clean Natsuki's room is," Shizuru remarked she went to take a seat at one of the white chairs set up in the corner.

"I guess the maids keep it like this while I'm not here. I mean, I know when I am here they have to work pretty hard to keep it clean," the former biker commented as she sat down on a black trunk that was at the foot of her bed. The truck looked slightly out of place among all of the other furnishing because it was a footlocker; a gift from her brothers for her to have a piece of their school. It was a way of continuing to include her in their lives.

"I can imagine as I have to do that on a daily basis." A teasing smile followed those words.

A frown marred a cream-colored face for a moment. "You do it because you don't want 'to sit around in a mess'," she replied in a mocking tone, making it sound like she was whining. "I don't mind the mess."

"Of course, which is why you're the one making it," Shizuru pointed out with a laugh.

Natsuki rolled her eyes while noticing that Shizuru was starting to look around the room again. Crimson eyes seemed to be trying to drink in the whole scene. Natsuki wondered if Shizuru was amazed by the room, but she doubted that was it. There was something buried in those eyes going straight to Shizuru's mind.

"Shizuru, what're you thinking about?" the younger woman asked curiously.

"I've always been curious as to what Natsuki's bedroom looked like. I'm trying to picture you in here at six, at ten, at twelve. I want to imagine being in here with you then. What would we do?" Shizuru replied in an almost distant voice.

"Play video games," Natsuki answered as if it was obvious. It was always her favorite pastime until she found something—someone—that was more pleasant to spend time with.

"Ah, but Natsuki forgets I never liked video games. So, if I were Natsuki's guest back then, what would we have done?" Shizuru asked quite seriously as she turned her gaze to her love.

Natsuki shrugged. "To be honest, I would've probably beaten you up."

"I doubt it. I imagine that Natsuki would have been too shy to even approach me when we were younger."

"I'm not shy," the raven-haired woman huffed, folding her arms across her chest. She then snorted heavily out of her nose.

Shizuru smiled a little and they were quiet again until the older Otome decided to share a thought. "You know, Natsuki, I used to have a fantasy when we were students."

An ebony eyebrow arched. "What sort of fantasy?"

"Do you remember how I used to go to your dorm to tutor you in some subjects?"

Natsuki offered a hesitant agreement. "Yeah…" She was a little nervous to find out where the "fantasy" was going.

"Sometimes, I would think about if we were regular students and regular teenagers. I would think about going to your home, up to your bedroom to tutor you. We would study for a while and—" Shizuru did not get to finish.

"I get it, I get it!" Natsuki interrupted, her face was now a burning bright red.

Shizuru could not help giggling when she caught sight of her sweet Natsuki's face. To think that Natsuki was still so modest; it was so adorable, the older woman thought. She wondered if she would be able to talk Natsuki into some role-playing later on in order to fulfill that fantasy of hers.

"So, are you going to just sit in your room all day or will you be introducing me to your brothers as you promised?" Shizuru inquired curiously.

"I'd like to, but I don't have a damn clue where they are right now. I think they might be in town. You want to go see the capital city?" Natsuki proposed.

"Yes, please," the light-haired female replied.

"Then let's go. You want to ride my bike there?" Natsuki asked with a big grin.

Shizuru sighed as if in total despair, making sure to do an exaggerated movement to show that she was not being serious. "Yes, we can ride your bike."

Natsuki seemed like she wanted to jump up and down while clapping thanks to the agreement. She grabbed her lover by the hand and they were gone. Shizuru could only wonder what the capital city looked like.

--------------

The capital city of Saxas was called Kugan and it was…quaint; Shizuru guessed that would be the polite way to put it. She felt like she in one of those places where people liked to re-enact history. The streets were cobblestone, which did give off a charming, old-fashion atmosphere. None of the buildings were over five stories high and they were all solid stone buildings. There were traffic lights, but not very many cars on the roads. People were on bicycles, horses, and foot. Shizuru felt out of place from being on Natsuki's motorcycle.

"Well, Shizuru, this is the capital, Kugan," Natsuki declared with no shame in her voice, even though she was more than aware of how simple the "city" was.

"It's hard to believe that this is where Natsuki is from," Shizuru admitted. Before she knew much about Natsuki, she imagined that the former biker came from some huge city where it was easy to get lost in oceans of people and massive buildings. She doubted it was possible for anyone to get lost here, though.

"Well, this is the city proper. You know, the places that they show tourists and junk like that. It's pretty nice. Come on, we can walk around to get a better feel for the place," Natsuki proposed.

Shizuru did not object and, just like in the palace, she allowed Natsuki to lead her on a grand tour of the capital city. They went through the city square where people gathered at a large fountain. Around the square, there were entertainment places, restaurants, and stores. The entertainment places did not seem like they were places that Natsuki would be caught dead in, general movies that whole families could go to, traditional plays, and puppet shows of all things.

"Oh, Natsuki, could we get food? I would love to sample the local cuisine," Shizuru said with a sincere smile.

"Um…you might not like it. A lot of is messy," Natsuki replied.

"I would still like to try it. I want to experience my Natsuki's hometown."

Natsuki shrugged; she could go for some food anyway. She considered going to the nearest street vendor and buying something, but she knew from experience in Windbloom that among the certain things Shizuru was against just buying in the street, real food was one of them; sweets were fine, though.

"Oh, I know," Natsuki said while pulling Shizuru across the street to a small café. She went up to a window that was there for "to go" orders. There was no line. "Hi, can I get two shish-kabobs? One with beef and the other with chicken. Put extra hot sauce on the beef one and dip it in mayonnaise after that," Natsuki placed the order.

"Shish-kabob?" Shizuru echoed with a puzzled expression on her face. It was not a food that was easily found in Windbloom and she had actually never seen one before.

"Yeah. You want to sample local cuisine, right? I could get us something a bit more messy if you like, but we'll be going home with barbeque sauce all over our hands and faces."

"Maybe Natsuki would, but I don't eat like a barbarian," the older woman teased with a small smile.

Natsuki made a face at her lover, but did not say anything. The wait for their food was not long and Shizuru got to see what a shish-kabob was: grilled meat on a long pike with equally grilled vegetables. There seemed to be sauce oozing off of the one with beef as well as a thick coat of Natsuk's beloved mayo, while on the chicken one there was sauce thinly coating it. The end to the sticks had napkins, obviously as an attempt to keep one's hands clean while eating it.

"Oh, and can we have some bread too?" Natsuki requested and was handed two pieces of fluffy bread. "Thank you," the principal said. "Here, Shizuru, take yours while I pay for this."

Shizuru yelped as Natsuki handed her the chicken and bread. The tawny-haired Otome stared at the food while Natsuki paid and got some mayonnaise packets, just in case she needed more. Once that was out of the way, the food-service worker bid them farewell, adding that he hoped the "prince" enjoyed her food.

"Does everyone call you a prince?" Shizuru asked curiously. She was not surprised that Natsuki was recognized, but it was nice to see that the princess was not mobbed when she was out on the streets in her hometown.

Natsuki thought about it for a couple of seconds. "Pretty much everyone that knows me, except my parents."

Shizuru nodded; it seemed like such an odd quirk, and yet it did not seem to faze Natsuki in the slightest. Yes, she teased Natsuki about her tomboyish behavior at times, but Natsuki did not seem so much like a boy to her that Natsuki should be called "prince" or "ouji-sama" or anything of that sort. She wondered if she would get used to the nicknames.

"You should eat it while it's hot," Natsuki said to her love before biting into her own food. She did not care that she was getting mayo and hot sauce around her mouth. It was inevitable anyway.

Shizuru nodded and decided to give the kabob a small bite, just to taste it. The spiciness of it caught her off-guard, but she was not deterred by that. It was something different and she wanted more of it. So, she took another bite, more confident than the first, but still small. She did not want to risk a mess around her mouth

"You like it?" Natsuki asked curiously. Her emerald eyes shined with hope. She wanted her girlfriend to like everything about Saxas, just like she did.

"It is quite good. I'm just trying to figure out how to eat it without getting a goatee like Natsuki," Shizuru answered with a smile. Her love did have a ring around her mouth of mayo and hot sauce.

"The mess is part of the appeal. You're just boring, Shizuru," Natsuki declared with a huge smile on her face, happy to finally get some teasing in.

"Excuse me for not being as princely as yourself," Shizuru countered. She considered that she might have to rethink her stance on the titles that her love carried in Saxas. It was possible that she could get some decent teasing in with the titles.

Natsuki only scoffed in return before deciding to change the subject. "You want to see some of the shops? They're not as big as Windbloom, but they're nice…I guess," she said. Not being a serial shopper like Shizuru, she was not the best judge of stores.

"Oh, is Natsuki offering to buy me things?" Shizuru asked with a seductive smile.

"Why would I be doing that?"

"Because Natsuki didn't get me anything for my birthday," the older woman pointed out.

"What're you talking about? I got you that huge diamond that's weighing your left hand down!" She motioned down to the aforementioned gift, which gleamed in the summer sun.

"So, your purposing was my birthday gift? Well, I suppose if Natsuki wants to be cheap and kill two birds with one stone, I suppose it's fine," Shizuru commented with a forced, deep sigh.

Natsuki sighed, sounding defeated. "You know, you're going to have to stop doing that."

"What? Natsuki knows I'm only playing…right?" Some worry sneaked into the taller Otome's tone.

"I do, but it makes me nervous sometimes now when you do it. I think I might misinterpret it and then we'll be back where we were a few months ago," the principal admitted.

"I won't let it get to that. Don't be so fearful, Natsuki. You need to have more faith in us."

Natsuki nodded in agreement with that. She supposed that she would get better with time. For the moment, she finished off her food, wiped her face with the napkin that she was using to hold the shish-kabob, and tossed everything away in a trash bin that they passed by. She turned to see that Shizuru was not even halfway done with her food.

"Well, we can't go into any shops until you're done with your food, so how about I show you the park? It's not too far from here," Natsuki said.

Shizuru nodded in agreement. They walked a few blocks down and Shizuru was greeted by the most lush, green park that she had ever seen. She was not surprised considering how much she learned about Saxas priding itself on its forests. There were people in the park, doing the things that people were expected to do in a park. Shizuru had to take Natsuki's hand in her own just because of the atmosphere.

"It's like when we go to the park at home," Shizuru commented with a small, content smile.

"Yeah, that's true. This park is just way bigger. I guess it's easier to get a park here than in a desert like Windbloom," Natsuki said.

The couple was quiet as they strolled, as if the park was made just for them. They ignored a few looks that came their way, which was because they were holding hands. Once Shizuru finished her food, Natsuki pulled her to the fastest route out of the park. It would seem that Natsuki was quite eager to take Shizuru shopping.

"How'd you like the kabob?" the younger woman asked curiously.

"It was good. I hope that everything else is just as good…but healthier," Shizuru answered with a joyous smile.

"I don't know. I mean, there were vegetables with that. That's probably as healthy as we get around here," Natsuki remarked.

Shizuru chuckled from that, expecting such words from her beloved. Natsuki pulled her across the street and went to the first shop that she wanted to show Shizuru. The tawny-haired woman expected it to be a lingerie shop because of the excitement of her lover, but looking in the window let her know that it was just a clothing shop. As they were about to go in, a couple was going out and Natsuki stopped.

"Hiroshi!" Natsuki declared in surprise with a grin.

"Nat-kun!" the man of the couple proclaimed and Shizuru now knew that she was in the presence of the loving third brother.

Natsuki and Hiroshi embraced each other. They hit each other on the back, like Natsuki had done when hugging Kenta earlier. Shizuru took in the sight of the brother while he and Natsuki hit each other a little more. Hiroshi was about the average height for a man with solid build thanks to his wide shoulders. He was pale like Natsuki with the same emerald green eyes. His blonde hair was long, passed his shoulders, and combed straight down.

When Natsuki was done hugging her brother, she glanced at the woman that he was with. She debated with herself for a couple of seconds and then decided to turn back to her brother. She laughed a bit and took Shizuru's hand.

"Hiroshi, this is Archimeister Shizuru Viola. Shizuru, this is my big brother Hiroshi Kruger," Natsuki introduced the two and ignored the woman by her brother clearing her throat. She was not sure what the noise was for since there were a number of possible reasons for it.

"Oh, the infamous Shizuru. It is a pleasure," Hiroshi said while taking her hand and surprisingly kissing the top of her hand.

"Ara, ara, I'm infamous? I suppose it makes sense. Are you sure you're Natsuki's brother? So polite and charming," Shizuru commented.

"I assure you that I am and, yes, Nat-kun could be as charming as I am if you work on her enough," Hiroshi replied.

"Because misery loves company, right?" Natsuki quipped.

Hiroshi was about to concur with that, but a glare from the woman that he was with cut him off. He cleared his throat and put his arm around the waist of the woman. The woman focused on Natsuki and Shizuru.

"Natsuki-chan seems to have the same manners as always," the woman practically hissed in the principal's direction.

"Oh, was I supposed to be doing something here? I think it's slipped my mind. Hiro-onii-san, are you heading back home?" Natsuki asked curiously.

"I am. Natsuki, please," Hiroshi requested with a begging look in his eyes.

Natsuki sighed. "Fine. Shizuru, this is my sister-in-law, Rachelle Kruger, duchess of Jaulus," she introduced the two. She sounded so disgusted to even say her sister-in-law's name.

"It is a pleasure," Shizuru said, offering her hand, which Rachelle looked at.

"Your name doesn't sound familiar. Where are you from?" Rachelle inquired with an attitude that Shizuru had not been expecting. She guessed already that she was in the presence of a snob.

"It doesn't matter," Natsuki broke in with an attitude of her own. "Come on, Shizuru," she said, pulling her love into the shop.

"See you at home, Nat-kun!" Hiroshi shouted to his retreating sister, which earned him a glare from his wife.

"Just to warn you, when you meet my other brothers, you'll meet their wives. They're pretty much Rachelle with different hair," Natsuki informed her lover.

"I don't mind. I just want to get to know Natsuki's family. I'm happy that her brothers seem so accepting of me," Shizuru replied. "But, then again, I do believe you once told me that they would accept me just because I'm with you."

"I meant that they'd accept you because I accept you and we all sort of think in the same way."

"Then why are they all married to women that you don't seem to like?"

"Arranged marriages. My parents call it 'playing it safe.' They want to make sure that we all marry the 'right' people. Whatever the hell that means," Natsuki said with a shrug. "But, let's forget about that right now. I owe you a birthday present, after all."

Shizuru smiled a bit and decided to accept that for the moment. Natsuki told her love to "go nuts," meaning that Shizuru could have anything that she wanted, not just in that store, but every store. Right now, Natsuki did not care about the cost; she just wanted to keep Shizuru as happy as she felt at the moment.

--------------

Next time: more brothers and Natsuki tries to get out of remaining in Saxas. Does Shizuru agree to leave?


	6. And a show

I don't own these characters. Sunrise does.

6: …And a show

Natsuki and Shizuru made it back to the palace from their trip into town just in time for dinner. On the way back to the palace, Shizuru could not help smiling as the street lights came on, even though the sun was still out for the long summer evening. The lights were an old fashion design, which gave the small city more charm than it had before. As the sun started to set, the twilight and street lights gave the city a glow and Shizuru could not help wrapping her arms around her lover. They smiled at each other.

Natsuki sighed, thinking about how great their time outside had been and considered just going back to her bedroom because she knew that things were only going to get worse now. Shizuru grabbed her by the arm and forced her to follow a servant to the dinning hall. Natsuki grumbled every curse word that she knew, looking all-around sour when they arrived in the hall. Shizuru only smiled, hoping that the expression would ease her fiancée's mood. Of course, it worked, but Natsuki made sure to continue appearing upset as they entered the hall.

"Nat-kun!" two men that Shizuru had yet to meet cheered and they stood up from the table. Every woman seated at the long table glared at the two.

"Koji! Hayate!" Natsuki was now suddenly all smiles.

The two men were Natsuki's other brothers. Koji was the second oldest. He was of a slender build with short, spiky ebony hair. His eyes were brown, like the King's eyes, and full of warmth. There was a rough looking scar on his neck that Shizuru was willing to bet was from a bike accident of some kind; her Natsuki had a scar due to a motorcycle accident located on her side, wrapping around to her back. He was a little over average height for a man with an oval shaped face.

Hayate was another blonde brother; he was the fourth brother. His hair was cut short with a bang covering up one eye. The eye that was visible appeared to be the same odd grey and blue mix that Kenta had. Shizuru wondered where they got such an eye color, not because it was weird, but because their parents did not have blue or grey eyes. Hayate was the thickest of the brothers that Shizuru had seen, but he was still slender; she bet that it took him a lot of effort to gain weight for his muscular frame considering the fact that it took an act of the gods for Natsuki to gain weight. His face was shaped just like Koji, but they did not look much alike.

Really, none of the Krugers looked much alike, Shizuru noted. There were ways to tell that they were related, though. Their smiles were the same, the way that they stood, and the auras that they gave off told of their relation. There, of course, there was just their behavior when together.

Hayate and Koji's greetings for Natsuki were a little different from her other two brothers. They hugged, yes, but then they each punched her hard in the shoulder rather than hitting her back. She laughed at hit them back while their mother glared at them.

"You two, you know better than to hit your sister," Saeko scolded them in a sharp tone. She was sitting close to Ryo, who was at the head of the long table.

"Ah, baby bro can take it," Koji said while ruffling Natsuki's hair. Natsuki laughed again while pushing her brother's hand away from her head.

"She is not your baby brother," the Queen said through gritted teeth. She was not sure why her sons seemed to make it their mission in life to have her only daughter think that she was a boy, an improper boy to make matters worse. She wanted to have a lady for a daughter, not a tomboy, and her children would not give her that one thing.

"Sure, she is! Baby bro!" Hayate grinned while slapping Natsuki hard on the back.

Natsuki laughed and then she scanned the area. "Hey, where is he?" she asked, close to whining. No one needed clarification as to who "he" was.

"Delayed in Aries. We called to make sure he was going to be here, don't worry. Now, Kenta was telling us that you have something to tell us," Koji replied with a giant smile. Kenta promised that it was good news and he just could not wait to hear good news.

"Oh, yeah." Natsuki slipped away from her brothers and went back to Shizuru's side. "Kruger family, this is Archmeister Shizuru Viola, my fiancée," she declared proudly as she held up Shizuru's hand for everyone to see the ring. Shizuru could not help smiling brightly, loving to show off the fetching engagement ring.

"Baby bro's getting married?" Koji said in disbelief, throwing his hands out in front of him in Natsuki's direction. Hayate's jaw was on the floor and his eyes were as wide as the dinner plates. Shizuru wondered what such reactions meant while Kenta chuckled.

"It makes sense. We knew it would happen sooner or later," Hiroshi commented, nodding his head in a sage manner.

"I wonder, does this mean we get to react the way Nat-kun did at the first wedding?" Kenta genuinely mused. He had his finger to his chin, thinking over if it would be fair. Natsuki bulked at the idea, which got her fiancée's attention.

"I don't think it would be a proper greeting for our newest sister-in-law to kick her in the shin," Koji replied. Shizuru arched an eyebrow and looked at her lover.

"I'll tell you about it later…much later…on my deathbed, I promise," Natsuki told her fiancée with a sheepish smile. Shizuru could only smile in return, even though she had plans for her lover to make sure that she heard that story sometime soon.

"Natsuki-chan, you insist on playing this game," Saeko said, interrupting the childish banter. Well, she thought it was childish anyway.

The principal of Garderobe dropped her head in defeat and growled at the floor. "Mom, if you don't stop calling me that, I'm going to go jump out of a window."

"And this is a threat? Last time I checked, you Otome had the ability to fly," Saeko pointed out, rolling her eyes in a nonchalant manner.

"Curse you," Natsuki muttered in a hiss, making a tight fist and shaking it at the floor. It just seemed easier to try intimidating the floor rather than wasting the gestures on her mother.

"Why don't you finish the introductions of your friend," Saeko suggested.

"She knows who she needs to know," the principal replied in a dismissive matter. _To hell with the harpies-in-law_. "And she's my fiancée, not my friend. I'm not joking about this, Mom. It's not a trick, joke, tall tale, shenanigan, running gag, ploy, ruse, deception, con, or lie."

"I'm sure it's not," Saeko said with a small smile, apparently humoring her daughter. There was a spark in her eyes, like she was laughing on the inside.

A vein bulged in poor Natsuki's neck in a manner that Shizuru had almost forgotten could happen. The usually cool principal seemed to be reverting right before her eyes because Natsuki certainly was losing her calm in front of more people that Shizuru was used to seeing in a long time. Shizuru had gotten accustomed to seeing Natsuki negotiate treaties between nations and deal with tightly-wound diplomats without even raising her voice. Natsuki took a deep breath, remembering who she was and who she was dealing.

"Let's just sit down and eat," Natsuki said to Shizuru.

"Natsuki-chan, you cannot sit until you introduce your guest to everyone. You should know that," Saeko stated.

Natsuki ground her teeth together and her body began to shake a little from annoyance. "Fine. Shizuru, meet my brothers' wives. There's Leonora, Paige, and Sakura," she said through her gritted teeth, not even bothering to explain who was who or which brother they were married to.

Shizuru did take into account that all five ladies at the table, including Saeko, glared at Natsuki. The raven-haired Otome rolled her eyes and pulled Shizuru to an empty place at the table. Shizuru wondered why her love was so hostile toward the women, but she gathered it might have something to do with Natsuki kicking the bride at the first wedding amongst the Kruger siblings. Perhaps Natsuki did not like sharing her brothers, Shizuru considered.

Dinner was silent, almost awkward. Shizuru studied the people at the table and she could tell that the Kruger siblings were actually anxious to talk, but glares from wives and their mother stopped words when they were mere sounds. Carrying on the conversations that the siblings wanted to would be improper for the dinner table; they all knew that, which was why they were always silenced.

Because of that silence, the meal was tense. Shizuru thought it was almost crushing and she could tell the family thought so too. Still, no one tried to change the mood and they pressed through dinner like they were being held at gun point.

Once everyone finished, they just sat there while waiting for the servants to take away the empty plates. Shizuru wondered if anyone was going to speak now, but there still was no conversation and no one dared move to get up. Shizuru suspected that there was so sort of signal that let the siblings know when it was polite to leave the table. She watched and waiting to see if she could pick up on what the signal was. Ryo put his hand to his chin and suddenly all of the Kruger offspring were rushing out of their seats.

Natsuki practically ran from the table when they were able to go. She then had to come back, having forgotten her fiancée in her rush. She grinned sheepishly at Shizuru while taking her by the hand and running off again. Shizuru could not help giggling as they left.

The raven-haired princess fled to her bedroom, ignoring the maids fawning over her as she went into "her" corridor. Shizuru could not help laughing more as she took in the maids' disappointed looks due to not being any use to their "dear prince."

"What. The. Hell!" Natsuki screamed to the ceiling when they were safely tucked away in her bedroom. She looked around, wanting something to kick. Nothing caught her eye and she was very tempted to just put her foot through the wall; it would not be the first time that she did such a thing.

"Calm down, dear Natsuki," Shizuru requested as she came up behind her lover and wrapped her arms around her beloved's waist. She rested her head on the principal's shoulders.

"How could they think I was joking? Or trying to get out of getting married? You're wearing a freaking engagement ring that I gave you!" Natsuki pointed out while making aggravated movements with her arms. She really wanted to know just what the hell was wrong with her parents?!

"Natsuki, calm down." Shizuru placed a soothing kiss to her love's neck. "You have to remember that you yourself said that same-sex relationships are basically unknown here. Your parents are just connecting this in the best way that their minds can process. Would you have rather them yell and scream and disown you?"

Natsuki sighed and her shoulders dropped. "I was more prepared for that than for them to think I'm joking around. It's like saying my feelings for you are a joke," she replied in a harsh, almost disgusted tone.

Shizuru smiled a bit, touched by her love's indignation over things. She sighed lovingly into Natsuki's creamy skin. Natsuki wanted to turn and look at her, try to gauge what the Third Column was thinking, but Shizuru let her know what was on her mind.

"Maybe a little role playing can take your mind off of it?" Shizuru proposed, making sure to pout against her love's neck. She drew small circles around the shorter female's belly-button with her index finger.

"Is the role I play a frustrated high school student that can't figure out why I need to know classical lit?" Natsuki inquired in a deadpan tone. _It could not hurt to try_.

"Was classical lit the subject you always had to put your glasses on for? Saying they made you feel smarter?" Shizuru asked with a little laugh. She allowed an image of young Natsuki with her glasses on float through her mind. The thought made her sigh contently. _Natsuki was always so cute!_

Natsuki smiled sheepishly and scratched her cheek a couple of times. "Yeah. You have to admit, they helped."

"I don't think they helped, except make you feel more comfortable. You actually wore glasses before you got the nanomachines, right?"

"Yeah, I got them when I was nine or something like that. Seemed like every time I went to the doctor I was getting fitted for a new, thicker pair. I'd probably be blind by now if it wasn't for the nanomachines," the raven-haired woman remarked with a smile.

Shizuru was quiet for a moment. "Does Natsuki still have her glasses?"

"I should have a spare pair around here somewhere. I might have to look for them. Why?"

"I want the full effect of Natsuki being a normal student. Natsuki would have had glasses in high school if not for the nanomachines."

Natsuki sighed. "You're so twisted and kinky."

An impish smile curled onto an angelic face. "Yet you're marrying me anyway."

"It's a toss up between marrying you and hanging myself. You're winning by a small margin."

Shizuru smiled more and gave Natsuki a playful hit, right on the butt. "Natsuki is being quite the bad girl."

"Just trying to get into my role," the younger woman remarked. "So, what's your role?"

"I was planning on just being me."

"So, I get to be Natsuki ten-years-younger and regular high school student while you remain the upfront pervert that you are?"

Shizuru laughed and hugged her lover closer. "Natsuki is being quite mean to me. I am going to be me ten-years-younger tutoring my little Natsuki. Just follow my lead, eh, Natsuki?"

The principal nodded, knowing it would be best to just listen to Shizuru. Besides, she needed to do something that required little thinking thanks to the way her parents were making her feel, especially her mother. She was all too aware that seeing them would be emotionally draining, but she did not expect it to happen so quickly.

Natsuki did not have a chance to dwell on the drain from her parents as Shizuru started to make moves to get her fantasy set up. Just from the way that her fiancée was moving, Natsuki had a feeling that Shizuru really wanted to do this role-playing there. Natsuki just went with it, figuring it would help take her mind off of things...and boy was she right.

----(Next day)

Shizuru woke up to the sound of movement around the room. Forgetting where she was for a moment thanks to a near-comatose sleep, she shot up and was quite ready to materialize her Robe before she noticed the maids milling about the place. She remembered now that she was in Natsuki's home, in Natsuki's bed…and completely naked…with an equally naked Natsuki.

Shizuru, also recalling how Natsuki's servants acted around her, turned her attention to her love to make sure that she was properly covered. Thankfully, Natsuki was sleeping on her stomach as she had a habit of doing, but she had kicked most of the covers off of her, which she also had a habit of doing. Pale skin was on display from the shoulders to the hips with a brief pause before the skin continued on from mid-thigh to the toes. Shizuru quickly yanked the covers over her beloved, but could feel a lot of eyes on the bed. She just hoped that she covered Natsuki before anyone saw what was for her eyes only.

The Third Column scanned the room to see whom she might have to relieve of their eyes. Most of the servants had the decency to go back to doing their work, but a few were not fast enough. Two pair of eyes did not even seem to think that they were doing anything wrong; they were the two that Shizuru sort of met yesterday: Suzume and Ran.

"Yes?" Shizuru asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Um…you do know you're naked, right?" Suzume countered just to be sure.

"Ara, ara, how embarrassing," Shizuru lied, making sure to follow the words with an embarrassed smile. She lifted the cover up over herself, knowing that if Natsuki woke up right now and saw her giving a show to the maids, heads would roll…well, no, more like heads would be shot off by a big, freaking cannon.

"Wow, so you really are engaged to ouji-sama?" Ran asked in disbelief. She figured it had to be either that or Shizuru and Natsuki just had the wildest slumber party ever.

"Is that a problem? After all, you two have a huge crush on your prince, don't you?" Shizuru countered.

"We don't!" the pair shouted and Natsuki grumbled in her sleep while moving a bit.

"You two are going to wake her up," Shizuru actually scolded them. It was not often her beloved got to sleep in and right now, she would like to encourage that because Natsuki needed to relax.

"Sorry, ouji-sama!" the two young servants apologized in whispered hisses while putting their hands out, as if that would magically keep Natsuki asleep. The princess turned her head, facing away from Shizuru, and then turned again to face her again, but she did remain asleep.

Shizuru laughed; they were adorable. Of course, not as adorable as her precious Natsuki, but it was just funny to watch them in action. She did wonder why they did not seem to think that they had a crush on their "prince," though. She could tell when they denied the charge, it was not because she was the one asking it and it was clear that she was Natsuki's lover, but they were telling her the honest truth…as they knew it to be anyway. She decided to let the subject drop.

"Now, what do I have to do to get you all to come back later to do your jobs? Preferably when your prince is awake?" Shizuru asked curiously.

"Ouji-sama needs rest so we need to get out of here!" Ran announced, which got a deadpan expression from Shizuru.

"Yeah, that should work," Suzume agreed and then she glared down at her redheaded counterpart. "You could've been quieter about it, you know! You could've woken up ouji-sama!"

The tan-haired Otome shook her head as the servants filed out of the room. Natsuki was certainly surrounded by interesting people at home—interesting people that she hoped did not get a good look at Natsuki's assets. She turned to look down at Natsuki and could not resist the urge to cuddle into the raven-haired woman. She pulled Natsuki close, pressing the knocked-out woman to her. A smile worked its way onto Shizuru's face as their warm flesh touched; it was heaven.

"_Ara, ara, when was the last time I got to just hold Natsuki like this? Usually, she wakes up early just to play with me and then makes sure to go off to work. She'll play with me even then, but I never really get to just hold her. I'm sure your parents would be more believing of our engagement if they saw us now_," Shizuru thought to herself, not wanting to make any noise because she did not want to wake her love.

At the thought of being engaged to Natsuki, Shizuru had to look at her ring and her smile grew. The engagement seemed like some wild dream and her mind spun just from the sight of her ring. She never thought that Natsuki would get the courage to propose. She actually planned to do it once Natsuki retired and had less to worry about. She did not want to add more stress into Natsuki's life; after all, Natsuki tended to do a good job of that on her own.

Shizuru's thoughts were distracted as Natsuki turned in her arms. The Second Column shifted to the point where she was facing her lover. Green eyes fluttered open and a small smile eased onto a milky face.

"Tell me this is our bedroom and I dreamed that we're stuck in Saxas with my family," Natsuki requested with the cutest pout.

"You might have dreamed it, but we're also in Saxas with your family," Shizuru answered while tenderly brushing a few stray ebony locks from her lover's face.

Emerald eyes closed for a moment and wrinkles creased the pale forehead. "Damn it. I was hoping it was just an evil nightmare brought on by a mayo midnight snack."

Shizuru's face scrunched up into a disapproving glare. "Natsuki isn't supposed to be having such snacks anyway. Do you still sneak mayo when I'm not looking?" she inquired with a serious look in her eye.

"Me? Sneak mayo? Never!" Natsuki lied with a charming smile on her face and Shizuru could not resist kissing her. Natsuki kissed back, hoping the embrace lasted forever and the conversation could be forgotten. Her fiancée had other plans, though, and pulled away after a few seconds.

"You know, we are going to have to get out of bed sooner or later," Shizuru reminded her love.

"Oh, come on! We saw the family all day yesterday, even survived a meal with them. Let's call it a success already and just stay here all day and sneak out later tonight," Natsuki pled, wrapping her arms around Shizuru to support her case.

"It wasn't that bad, Natsuki."

"I know, so that means it's just going to get worse!" Natsuki groaned. Yesterday could have gone so much worse than it did, but they escaped with their sanity and their lives intact. It was pushing the limits to try anything further!

Shizuru smiled a little. "Come now, the Second Column and all-powerful Principal of Garderobe is going to be run off by her mother and father?"

"And sisters-in-law. Don't forget those harpies," Natsuki chimed in.

"Why do you dislike them so much?"

"Spend the damn day with them and if you don't cut just one of their heads off, I will grant your every wish," Natsuki said, quite seriously.

"I would like to take Natsuki up on that offer, but you have already granted my every wish. So, now, you have to get out of bed and face your family once again."

"Doesn't this count as a wish?" Natsuki asked.

"No, because you already agreed to come and see your family. Aren't you supposed to be getting them to understand our relationship?"

"Look, I told them we're getting married. We can just send them an invite and call it a day! Let's go while no one suspects it!"

"You didn't tell everyone, though."

"I did! I told my mom, my dad, and you've met my brothers! We can go now," Natsuki argued.

"I have not met Natsuki's whole family."

"You did! You even met the banshee sisters! That's the Kruger family."

Shizuru did not appear to be buying it. "Natsuki is actually forgetting someone very important," she sort of hummed as she spoke and her lover's brow wrinkled. "Aren't you forgetting him?" she asked curiously. She was purposely being ambiguous because of the way the Kruger siblings understanding it last night when Natsuki did the same thing.

The younger woman blinked. "Oh…damn it…" she pouted cutely again. "Fine!"

Shizuru smiled and held her Natsuki even tighter. Natsuki sighed; her family and this woman were going to be the death of her. Funny, she commented mentally; she always assumed that Miss Maria was going to be the one to kill her and eat her flesh afterwards.

"So, let's get up and greet the day, Natsuki," Shizuru said in a bright tone and she did not wait for an answer. She just started pulling Natsuki up, making sure to grin through the whole thing.

--------------

Next time: Natsuki and her brothers decide to go swimming while Shizuru actually gets along with Saeko!


	7. The deep end

I don't own these characters.

A/N: sorry for the wait. Life issues.

7: The deep end

Natsuki and Shizuru had to take breakfast with the Kruger family, much to Natsuki's annoyance. Shizuru did not seem to mind, but then again, it was always hard to tell with her. The taller woman wore a small, welcoming smile as she walked with Natsuki to the dining hall. The expression appeared to be genuine, but Natsuki was not sure what was causing it. She was pretty sure that Shizuru could not be so contented to have another meal with the Kruger clan.

Upon entering the dining hall, all eyes turned to the couple, not that the whole family was even there yet. Natsuki gulped, wondering if she had done something wrong already considering the weird looks everyone was giving them; her whole family appeared shocked or puzzled. Shizuru did not seem to notice what was going on; well, really she was not sure what to make or it, so she ignored it. Natsuki led her lover to the chairs that they had occupied the night before at dinner. All eyes remained on Natsuki.

"What? Is there something on my face?" Natsuki inquired, even though she doubted that was it. Shizuru would have caught that for her and would have taken care of it for her, after all.

"You are here," her father said, voice close to trembling. His eyes were somewhat squinted as if he was completely baffled.

"Yeah, duh," Natsuki replied quite rudely, only because she thought it was stupid for her father to point out the obvious.

"On time," Koji added, face frozen into a surprised expression. "I don't think I've ever seen you at the table on time…for anything…ever," he commented. He wracked his memory for just one instance of Natsuki being on time, but nothing was coming up. It was unprecedented!

"What? I'm sure I have been," she argued and then she took a moment to think about it. She could not recall ever being on time. Actually, she was pretty sure that she was always the last one to arrive anywhere. She looked at who was at the table and saw that her "twin" was not there yet, which let her know that she was earlier than usual because she and Kenta always showed up seconds apart.

"You have never been on time. Shizuru-san must be a good influence on you," Saeko commented. "I see that ever your posture has gotten better. I know this is her influence."

Natsuki's face fell. "There was never anything wrong with my posture," she grumbled with a scrunched up mouth.

"You slumped like a hunchback," her mother argued with a straight face.

"I did not!" Natsuki retorted and then a giggle got her attention. She turned to see her darling fiancée was laughing, at her no doubt.

"You did," Shizuru calmly concurred with Saeko.

Natsuki glared at Shizuru, emerald eyes screaming, "Traitor!" Shizuru smiled softly at her love and placed a gentle hand on Natsuki's knee. Natsuki looked down at the hand and watched it caress her for a moment. She sighed as her body relaxed until the tender hand and she thought that she might as well be married to her love considering the way that she was wrapped around Shizuru's little finger.

"Can we just eat already?" Natsuki grumbled.

"For someone who has never been on time, I'm not surprised you don't know we don't eat until everyone is seated," her sister-in-law, Rachelle, commented sharply. She even dared to glare at the princess.

Natsuki glared right back at Hiroshi's wife and watched as the older woman squirmed in her chair under the intense emerald gaze. The biting tone got Shizuru's attention for a moment, but then she went back to rubbing Natsuki's leg. The motion helped calm Natsuki down and it kept her from telling older woman off. Natsuki sighed as if she was giving up.

"You really are a traitor, you know that?" the principal of Garderobe whispered to her lover.

"Yet you love me just the same," Shizuru stated in a quiet tone with a tiny smile.

Natsuki did not argue. The couple received a few curious looks from the ladies and the King, but they failed to notice. Koji and Hiroshi chuckled a bit; they were the only brothers there at the moment, as they were the ones that tended to be punctual. They were getting the feeling that Natsuki was serious about marrying Shizuru, which was fine by them.

"So, Shizuru-san, how is the charming Viscount?" Saeko inquired, making all eyes go to the Third Column.

"Father is fine, I suppose. He is not one to complain," Shizuru replied easily.

"I don't know how your mother can put up with that man. He flirts with anything that moves," the Queen pointed out, keeping an even tone to make her words seem less rude. Shizuru laughed, not taking the slightest bit of offense.

"That's just the way Father is. My mother knows who he is going home with at the end of the day, but she does make sure to glare evilly at everyone my father so much as smiles at," Shizuru remarked, picturing her mother making women and men cower in fear just because her father dared to speak to them with a bright smile on his face. It amused her further because Natsuki was the same way when it came to her and whomever she socialized with.

"Your mother? You know I don't think we've made the pleasure," Saeko said, taking her finger to her chin in thought. She then turned her attention to her husband. "Did we get the chance to meet the Viscount's wife, Ryo?" she asked curiously.

The King thought about it for a moment, glancing off to the ceiling as if it held the answer. "I do not recall meeting with her."

"Trust me, if you met Shizuru's mother, you'd remember her very well," Natsuki said. "The frowning is enough to etch her angry face into your memory," she added in a mumble while looking at the floor.

"Natsuki has been traumatized by my sweet and innocent mother?" Shizuru teased, caressing her girlfriend's leg again as she spoke.

"Your mother is about as sweet and innocent as a rabid wolverine," the younger woman huffed and rolled her eyes.

Shizuru laughed a bit and was about to explain Natsuki's attitude toward her mother, but suddenly the rest of the Kruger family entered the dining hall. Kenta appeared to be half-asleep and was being thoroughly scolded by Sakura, so Shizuru was able to guess that she was his wife. Sakura was a small woman with cutting blue eyes and flowing ebony hair. Her face was almost angelic, but twisted into a sheer demonic expression while speaking to the sleepy Kenta. To his credit, Kenta seemed to be drowning her out; it was possible that he had learned to sleepwalk.

Hayate was right behind Kenta and getting similar treatment from his wife, Paige. Paige was a tall, redheaded woman, glowering down at her husband thanks to a couple of inches in height that she seemed to be trying to make a couple of feet. She glared daggers at him with her hard silver eyes. He seemed to be used to it because his expression was quite bland and his hands were in his pockets, like he did not care what she was talking about. In all honesty, he had no clue what she was going on about.

"Food," Hayate grunted as he flopped down into his chair with all of the grace of a wet noodle.

"He shows up late and then expects to be immediately fed immediately. We have raised such undisciplined brats," Saeko commented with little humor in her voice.

"I've known they were mini-barbarians since they were about knee high," Ryo replied in an almost dismissive manner. "The way that they treated their only sister was merely firm proof."

"Sister? We have a sister?" Koji remarked, as if he was truly baffled. His face was serious and he scanned the table. "I don't see a sister."

A frown cut into the Queen's face and it was then that Ryo thought it would be wise to call for the meal to avoid his wife eating their second son. Breakfast was eaten in a tense silence. Hayate was the brave soul that dared to break it.

"I hear it's supposed to be hot today. We should go swimming," Hayate suggested, mouthful of biscuits, as he had taken to shoving bread into his mouth before he decided to speak. He was eyed dangerously by his mother and his wife, but ignored both looks just the same.

"Sounds good. We could get on some jet skis and blaze around the lake," Kenta said with a grin. His eyes shined with delight at the thought. His wife glared at him.

"You get enthused about playing in the mud, but never about what you should be doing," Sakura said in a scornful tone.

"Swimming is not playing in the mud. We'll save that for later on when the whole crew is together again," Koji said with a proud smile of his own.

Sakura curled her lip and rolled her eyes. Koji dismissed her by turning his attention back to his food. The brothers (including Natsuki) silently decided that they would go swimming. If their wives wanted to join them, fine, and if not, they were certain that they would see a happy day that day.

"You're going to go swimming with us?" Natsuki asked Shizuru.

"If it means I get to rub sunscreen on my Natsuki, of course I am going to go," the tawny-haired Otome replied with a small, and perverted in Natsuki's opinion, smile.

Natsuki was about to say something about her love's expression, but decided against it. She was going to let Shizuru do whatever perverted thing came to mind as that might help her parents realize that she was not joking about marrying Shizuru. She just hoped that Shizuru did not suddenly become shy or something just because the Kruger family was around, although Natsuki could not see how that might happen. After all, Shizuru groped her in front of the Viola family all the time; it was quite annoying and embarrassing. Of course, the Violas found it freaking hilarious.

--------------

"Whoa, Nat-kun, what the hell are you wearing?" Kenta shouted as Natsuki and Shizuru made their way down to the lake with all of the necessary gear.

The other brothers turned to see what Kenta was yelling about and their mouths practically hit the pearl white sand that surrounded the part of the lake that they were all setting up at. They could not believe what their supposed baby brother was wearing. Natsuki had come out wearing a navy blue bikini; her brothers had never seen her in such a thing. The Kruger men all sported puzzled expression while Saeko seemed dangerously close to smiling.

"Why aren't you wearing your trunks?" Koji demanded to know, seeming almost upset with his sister's chosen swimwear. He doubted he had ever frown so deeply because of something Natsuki, but now she was starting to worry him. _What the hell did they do to my baby brother at the girl school?!_

"Natsuki used to wear trunks?" Shizuru asked, a teasing smile trying hard to curl onto her lip.

"Don't start," Natsuki warned her beloved before turning her attention to her brother. "I stopped wearing trunks a long time ago, Koji-onii-san."

Koji cut a glance to Shizuru and the couple could tell what he was thinking. He was silently blaming Shizuru for the change in his "baby brother." The other brothers picked up on that too and followed behind the second son.

"It's not Shizuru's fault, guys. It's just when I took swimming classes at Garderobe, the girls used to laugh at me a lot. I couldn't really afford anymore demerits, so I tried to fit in more," Natsuki explained.

"You should've just taken the demerits. We could've broken you into our school once Garderobe kicked you out," Kenta declared with a huge grin. The look in his eyes showed that he was quite serious with his words, despite his expression. He hoped that there were not more unpleasant changes in Natsuki because of that girl school; his brothers were of the same thinking.

"Our school wouldn't have lasted with both you and Nat-kun there," Hayate remarked.

"It barely survived the two of you being there at the same time," Hiroshi said to the younger pair.

"Funny, as Garderobe barely survived Natsuki," Shizuru quipped, bumping her lover with her hip.

"Please, I barely survived Miss Maria. I'm still waiting for her to eat my head for that little poker night I arranged," Natsuki mumbled.

Shizuru smiled a bit, remembering the poker nights, which were held in a forgotten basement room of Garderobe with much gambling and drinking. It might have possibly been the one thing that Natsuki got away with as a student, but Natsuki refused to believe that Miss Maria did not know about it. To that day, Natsuki was still waiting for the elder Otome to bring it up and punish her for it.

"Let's forget about it and get to fun. Come on, Nat, I challenge you a cliff-diving contest!" Kenta declared.

Shizuru watched with a small grin as her lover ran off with Kenta to the nearby rocks, which had a small waterfall pouring into the lake. The other Kruger brothers followed the youngest pair. Shizuru was about to set herself up in the warm, pearl-colored sand, but she was called over by the Queen.

"Sit with me, Shizuru-san," Saeko ordered. She was in a two-piece bathing suit, lounging on what looked like a thin mattress or a very thick towel. The King was lying down next to her and he seemed to be asleep. Ryo had on sunglasses to hide his eyes, but the way his chest rose and fell indicated that he was having a nice nap already.

Shizuru did not argue and she walked over to the Queen. She noticed the looks from the wives of the Kruger brothers; they were glaring at her as if they were trying to set her soul ablaze with every step that she took closer to the Queen. She suspected that there was an unwritten rule about how close anyone could sit next to the royal couple because the younger women were all at least six feet away. Shizuru ignored that and went to within six inches of the Queen, figuring that if it was something wrong with that Saeko would alert her in someway. The alert never came.

Shizuru sat gracefully down onto her lounge chair. Saeko watched her carefully as the younger woman went through what most would assume was a simple motion. Shizuru pulled it off as if she was goddess, though; if one bothered to ask Natsuki, of course she would vouch for Shizuru's divinity.

"I suspect it was you that got my daughter to stop wearing god-awful swim trunks," Saeko commented.

"Well, I might have helped a little. I really just did not want to see Natsuki beat up any other Corals and be sent back home," Shizuru answered easily. She had actually missed Natsuki in trunks, but she had talked Natsuki into trying harder to stay at the school.

"You must be quite the good friend of Natsuki's to go through all of this trouble for her. It would have been best for her to just marry that young man that she was dating not too long ago." A wistful sigh followed that comment.

"Takeda? He would not have matched well with my Natsuki," Shizuru stated very matter-of-factly. Of course, she had not thought that at the time, but wearing the engagement ring from her most precious person did wonders for her confidence.

"Your Natsuki?" Saeko echoed curiously. She noted the manner in which the words were spoken. She decided that Shizuru was quite the actress.

"Yes, my Natsuki. She was my Natsuki before she even realized it." Shizuru smiled. Just thinking about when Natsuki was a Coral gave her a happy, yet naughty feeling.

Saeko appeared quite skeptical and Shizuru could easily tell that. She did not elaborate, figuring that the more she spoke, the more Natsuki's mother would think that she was full of it. She took a moment to glance over at the Kruger children and saw that Kenta was about to dive off of the cliff.

"So, you don't cliff dive?" Saeko asked, now apparently trying to make conversation. She was surprised to find Natsuki with someone who was not totally wild and out-of-control, which she thought Natsuki was.

"Not particularly, no," Shizuru replied. She had actually forgotten that Natsuki knew how to dive since whenever they went out now Natsuki had to be on her best behavior, playing the prim and proper principal of Garderobe.

"Do you swim?" Saeko asked.

"I do."

"But, not today?"

"No." Shizuru glanced down at her ring. She did not want to risk losing it in the vast water or chance it somehow getting messed up in the water. "You swim?"

"Not in open lakes. It is not like a giant pool, clean and sanitized. It was designed to be much like an actual lake, complete with mud, fish, and whatever else could possibly be swimming in there," Saeko replied with disgust curled onto her lip.

Shizuru nodded; she somewhat agreed with that assessment, but given the chance, she would have gotten in the water. It would have given her the opportunity to grope her beloved, but she was very much worried about her ring. She did glance over to her Natsuki to see what the younger woman was up to.

Natsuki was about to dive. She saw Shizuru looking at her, so she started to wave. And then she noticed that Shizuru was sitting close to her mother and it looked like they were talking. She made a mental note to find out what that was about, but did her dive after Shizuru waved back to show that she was watching, just as Natsuki wanted.

After watching Natsuki dive—beating Kenta soundly if anyone asked Shizuru—the Third Column went back to holding a conversation with the Queen. Natsuki continued to watch them from the short distance of the cliff. Her brothers noticed where her attention really was.

"Don't worry, Nat-kun. I'm sure Mom isn't saying anything to ruin your relationship," Hiroshi said.

"Especially since she doesn't believe there is a relationship," Hayate chimed in, happy to be helpful.

"Hey, how the hell are you going to marry that girl anyway? They do that sort of thing in Windbloom?" Kenta asked curiously.

"They do it, as you put it, in plenty of countries. Windbloom being one of them and that is probably where we're going to have the wedding. I'm not totally sure, though, because we haven't had the chance to talk about it. She wanted to meet all of you guys before doing any planning," Natsuki explained.

"Why? She should have taken you and ran while she had the chance," Koji commented, laughing slightly.

"She didn't believe me when I said our parents are freaking nuts. But, I think she thought I was ashamed of her. I mean, I told her how things were here and every time I came home, I made sure to do it when she was out on a mission, so it seemed like I was sneaking away," Natsuki said.

"When you were actually doing it because you thought you were protecting her," Hiroshi said the unspoken addition to that.

"I did. I screw up a lot when it comes to her," Natsuki sighed.

"Hey, that's what Krugers do. We screw up," Kenta said, apparently trying to lift her spirits.

"Well, we screw up when trying to do the right thing the wrong way. But, baby bro, you have someone in your life that's sticking with you through those screw-ups, someone that you got to pick for yourself. Just make sure she knows how you feel every now and then without being extra-girly about it and everything should work out," Koji advised.

Natsuki looked skeptical, which her big brother did not seem to take kindly to. He shoved her off of the rock cliff, which caught her by surprise and she cursed all the way down. He grinned and dived in right after her.

--------------

"Oh, looks like they're starting to play rough," Saeko observed as she saw Koji push Natsuki off of the cliff.

"Are they always like that?" Shizuru asked curiously.

"Yes," Saeko answered with a tired sigh and a frustrated shake of her head. "Those boys never gave poor Natsuki-chan a chance to be a girl. From the first day, they were roughhousing with her and everything. She and Kenta could not even be left in the same playpen, even though he's only a year older than she is. He would beat her up with toys and dive on her and all sorts of insane things. Before she could even walk, she was trying to throw toys back and forth with them."

"Natsuki never had a chance," Shizuru said, holding back a laugh. Sometimes, she thought that Natsuki would have preferred a chance, as she did have a few "girly" hobbies, but most of the time, she was certain that Natsuki was just fine with being a complete and total tomboy for most of her life.

"I tried turning her into an acceptable young lady, but with five brothers running around, it was a lost cause," Saeko sighed, shaking her head and looking away.

Shizuru shook her head. "Natsuki is never a lost cause." She had heard that more times than she liked back at Garderobe when Natsuki was a student. It was horrible to hear it from her beloved's own mother.

Saeko glanced over at the guest. "You seem to take offense to that."

"Because Natsuki is not a lost cause. I have seen her do quite amazing things, and it is unfair to brand her such a thing just because she did not live up to your standards or do what you wanted her to do. Not everyone is meant to be what we want them to be."

Saeko was silent for a moment and then surprisingly started laughing. Shizuru sighed, knowing that her words had just been taken as somehow being a part of this "scheme" she and Natsuki were trying to run. She wondered if she got up right now, swam over to Natsuki, and kissed the principal senseless, would that be counted as part of the "scheme"? The only thing stopping her from finding out the answer that question was knowing that Natsuki would be pissed!

Shizuru decided to steer the topic away from Natsuki altogether. Being in expert on redirection, before the Queen realized it, she and Shizuru were somehow talking about politics. Even that conversation, Shizuru had to tread lightly around, knowing from Natsuki that Saeko was traditional and conservative; "to a fault," as Natsuki liked to put it.

The day went like that for the most part. The Kruger siblings all seemed to be out to kill each other in the water. The Kruger spouses seemed to resent having to be outside in the sun. The patriarch of the Kruger family slept for the whole day.

--------------

"So, I saw you talking to my mother the whole time we were out there. She didn't say anything upsetting to you, did she?" Natsuki asked once she and Shizuru were safe in her room. She had practically run there because her maids were acting weird when she was walking through the hall and it was starting to creep her out. It did not help that she swore Shizuru was laughing at her on the inside.

"No, we mostly talked about nonsense things," Shizuru replied while trying hard not to giggle at what happened in the hallway. She knew underneath it all, she should have been angry and jealous that those maids were ogling her precious Natsuki like horny schoolgirls, but Natsuki's oblivious nature just made it quite funny. Shizuru often thought that she found Natsuki's oblivious side so cute because Shizuru was so heavily observant.

"Okay." Natsuki sounded relieved about that, but there was something else underneath it. Something that Shizuru could not quite place.

"I'm shocked Natsuki noticed what I was doing since she was so busy trying to drown her twin," Shizuru remarked.

"He deserved it," Natsuki declared while making her way to her bathroom to go get cleaned off.

"And why is that?" Shizuru asked curiously.

"The little bastard said I was the girl in our relationship and that I was going to have to wear a white dress to the wedding!" Natsuki griped.

Shizuru could not help giggling; she was actually managing to hold off louder laughter. She wondered if Natsuki even realized how she changed now that she was around her brothers. Of course, Shizuru thought it was just about the most adorable thing that she could ever see.

"So, does this mean that Natsuki wasn't planning on wearing a dress to the wedding? I think my father and I might have something to say about that," Shizuru mused aloud and that got the bathroom door slammed in her face. Aw, she wanted to see Natsuki naked!

Natsuki rested her back against the cool wall of bathroom tiles and exhaled quite slowly. She was happy to see her brothers again, but she really did not want to see her mother talking to Shizuru. She was not sure why, but it disturbed something in her and whatever that something was, it was rumbling and lurching just from the memory of her mother and Shizuru seeming to be friendly. It was a foreign emotion and she really wanted it to go away.

"Damn it…as soon as Shizuru meets him, we can leave and I won't have to deal with this anymore," Natsuki muttered to herself.

--------------

Next time: Meet the last Kruger brother and Shizuru gets a warning about her friendliness with Saeko.


	8. Friendly advice

I don't own these characters. Sunrise does.

8: Friendly advice

Natsuki was convinced that either somewhere the Devil was laughing at her, or God really hated her. The confirmation of that long-suspected fact came from the fact that she was sitting at her family's dinner table with her fiancée and her fiancée was actually getting along with her mother. To her, it meant that they would be exchanging humiliating stories about her and also that Shizuru was probably going to want to visit her family more often. _It's a grim prospect_, she thought with a frown that was mixed with a pout.

Shizuru and Saeko were sort of locked in a good-natured, but serious debate, which had started on earlier when they were sitting at the lake. It was a cross between a political and philosophical discussion that Natsuki would sooner shoot herself than join in. The principal got enough of such debates when they mattered and she was working, so she certainly did not care enough to debate such topics for leisure. _That's just sick_.

The other Krugers looked on in amazement that they did not even try to disguise. The brothers were sure that they had never seen someone cordially debate with their mother and live; even the King had long ago stopped traveling that road. Making things stranger, Shizuru was smiling and so was Saeko. _Since when the hell did people genuinely smile at their mother?! _Yeah, they were almost certain that it was the end of the world.

"If you stop and consider the decisions that a leader often has to make, it's almost impossible for a completely righteous person to lead, as they would have to bend their morals eventually," Saeko commented, speaking directly to Shizuru.

"I would say that if this person was intelligent and righteous, they would figure out how to work the situation to their advantage and come out with a decision that they would not regret and would not be construed as something wicked, but the best possible solution to a problem," the Third Column countered.

"An evil person could also make decisions that they would not regret," Sakura chimed in, trying to force her way into the conversation it would seem. The whole room paused for a moment and the siblings all thought _she's dead!_

The Kruger siblings gained more of an interest as Saeko turned her attention to her daughter-in-law. They expected a verbal bloodbath now because no one just interjected into their mother's conversation without an invite. Saeko's face tensed and she was ready to open her mouth when a servant entered the room.

"Excuse me, but other guests have arrived," the servant reported, giving Sakura a reprieve on her execution.

"Other guests?" Ryo echoed with an arched eyebrow. _What other guests?_

"Hello all," a small blonde woman said with a grin as she stepped in. She was tugging a tall, raven-haired gentleman behind her.

"Shuichi-onii-sama!" the Kruger siblings erupted like little kids and they all got up to charge their big brother.

Shizuru watched as the siblings took turns hugging and punching the eldest brother, Shuichi. He was much taller than the others with broad shoulders and eyes that were just as green as Natsuki's own; his skin was also the same complexion as Natsuki's skin. His dark, ebony hair was just as long, going down his back and hanging freely. There was something quite familiar about him, even though she never met him and she knew that.

Shizuru then turned her attention to the blonde pulling Shuichi around. Blonde curls dropped to her shoulders and there were crimson streaks going through the yellow hair like rivers of blood. The hair almost obscured pale blue eyes, which were hidden behind thin framed glasses. Shizuru could not help thinking that the blonde looked very familiar.

"Oi, onii-sama, onee-sama, come meet Shizuru," Natsuki urged the two newcomers with an almost child-like quality in her voice.

Shizuru got up to meet her lover halfway. Natsuki stood by Shizuru's side and the taller Otome felt her knees go weak because she could practically see the pride beaming from Natsuki. The pride was pouring out of her because she was standing by Shizuru and about to introduce the woman that she loved to, well, her role model.

"Shuichi, Nadia, this is my fiancée, the Archmeister of Garderobe—" Natsuki was cut off by the blonde.

"Shizuru Viola. I met you some years ago when you were arguing with General Armitage. Well, she was arguing with you and you were calmly sipping tea," Nadia explained while extending her hand to Shizuru.

"Yeah, that was Shizuru all right," Natsuki commented with a fond smile while her love and her sister-in-law shook heads.

"Ah, yes, you were with the President at the time. You're a member of the Senate. Nadia Morgan, if memory serves me correct," Shizuru realized.

"You have quite the good memory considering that was years ago and you were so occupied with General Armitage," Nadia commented.

"You tend to remember the things around Haruka more than what she's screaming about at the time if you get used to her...and I have known her for a long time. It is a small world, though," Shizuru said.

"Remarkably so if you're going to be marrying little Natsuki-chan," Nadia said and she got a reaction that Shizuru certainly did not expect. Natsuki blushed, cheeks a light, rosy red, and put her head down.

"Don't call me that, Nadia-onee-sama," Natsuki grumbled much like a child.

"Yeah, don't call her that," Shuichi concurred, also speaking a bit of a mumble. Nadia turned a smiling face to him and he gulped.

"Don't get too grumpy now, Shu-shu," Nadia purred while rubbing his stomach.

And now, more impressive than getting Natsuki to blush, Nadia made the big brother, the leader of the Kruger misfits, blush a familiar scarlet. Shizuru almost burst out laughing as she realized that Natsuki and Shuichi blushed the same complexion. _Wow_, she wondered just how similar the big brother and the baby sister were.

"How about we sit down, so that we can all eat?" Ryo suggested with a grunt to break up the little love-fest between the siblings, Nadia, and Shizuru.

"Angry at us and we've only been here two minutes. That must be a record," Nadia remarked, patting Shuichi on the hand. He only grunted.

Everyone took their seats and Shizuru noticed that the tension from half of the people at the table shot up. There were tight jaws and glares directed at Nadia, which were coming from Ryo, Saeko, and, as Natsuki dubbed them, the "harpies-in-law." It did not take much to figure out why.

Shizuru knew that all of Natsuki's brothers were married, and four of them were married to nobles through arrangements by their parents because their parents did not seem to trust them to find their own mates. Shuichi did not seem to get caught in that, but was probably the cause of it. Nadia was married to Shuichi if those rings on their fingers meant anything, and Shizuru could guess that did not fly well with the social conscious Krugers. After all, Nadia was from a country where nobility and such ranks did not exist anymore. Shizuru wondered what the horror story was surrounding the wedding and made a point to remember to ask Natsuki later on.

"Now, everyone, I want this dinner to go smoothly. If the urge to kill each other comes over you, do it after dinner," Ryo announced quite seriously.

"No, there will be no killing and no arguing. We are together as a family and we will act civilized for once," Saeko demanded. Obviously, she had higher standards than her husband; those standards were a bit unrealistic in her husband's opinion, too.

"Damn, I already had a hole dug out back," Koji remarked, jabbing his thumb behind him. His parents and his wife glared at him.

The glare got not only Koji, but all of his other siblings to straighten up. The meal was quiet for the most part from that moment on. Saeko and Shizuru started talking again, but of a different subject matter. The Kruger siblings quietly ate and also watched, waiting, to see if their sisters-in-laws would take the bait and try to get into the conversation. No one did, though, and Shizuru found that curious.

Not one to miss much, Shizuru also noticed that the more Saeko spoke with her, the tenser Natsuki came. By the end of dinner, Shizuru was surprised that Natsuki had not shattered from being coiled so tightly. Even when she reached out to comfort Natsuki, all that did was make the younger woman tighter than before. Natsuki even pulled away from her eventually.

"All right, listen up, you insane, wild maniacs," Ryo announced after the meal was over. "In a few days, to celebrate the fact that you are all home, your mother and I plan to throw a party. Try to act like the royalty you are for a night."

"Natsuki-chan, do not make us have to lock you in your room," Saeko added in a stern tone.

"I like to think I know how to attend a party," Natsuki replied in a clipped tone, glaring in her mother's direction.

"Not if memory serves me correctly," Saeko countered smugly.

"Yeah, well, it's been a few years since you have seen me in action. Why don't you worry about watching yourself at the party?" the youngest Kruger suggested, rolling her eyes.

"It's this sort of behavior that leads me to believe you have yet to learn how to act at a party. I'm sure Shizuru-san will be a good model for you, though," Saeko stated with a smile that could almost be called cruel.

Natsuki lost that battle and it was evident from the tight expression on her face and the scowl that cut her mouth like a sharpened knife. She turned her head away and wished that she could just curse her mother out, but that would not do much, except prove Saeko right that her daughter was little more than a barbarian. The principal practically grinned when her parents finally left the hall.

"Don't worry about it, Natsuki. We'll go do some four-wheeling tomorrow to take your mind off of it," Shuichi suggested and that got a smile out of his baby sister. He hugged her around the shoulders; he was sitting next to her.

"That should be fun," Natsuki mumbled, smiling still.

"Yeah, we haven't done that in a while, especially all of us," Kenta agreed with a smile of his own.

"What makes you think I'm going to let you go off into the woods, play in the mud, and possibly get one of your little brothers eaten by a bear?" Nadia inquired, standing behind Shuichi and running her fingers through his silky, onyx mane.

"Hayate was barely almost eaten by a bear once," Shuichi argued as if it was no big deal that his brother was once attacked by a bear.

"And we all know the bear would've thrown him back up if he was able to put Hayate down," Koji added. Hayate rolled his eyes and punched Koji in the arm to show that he was not amused while Koji did get a few laughs out of the other siblings.

"Just make sure you're safe on this outing. A funeral is not a good way to get back at your parents," Nadia remarked.

"So, what you're saying is, I'm never going to be able to use that hole I've got already in the back?" Koji quipped with a grin.

"Keep it up and we'll put you in it," Hiroshi commented with a taunting smirk on his face.

"Are you guys going to start fighting?" Nadia asked quite seriously. She had seen more than her fair share of scraps between the siblings. It was normal for them, but she was not much in favor of it.

"If you would leave the room, so we don't hit you, it would be tempting," Koji replied with a smile, letting her know that he was joking.

Nadia rolled her eyes. "Come, Shu-shu." She lightly slapped Shuichi's shoulder.

"Stop calling me that!" Shuichi huffed as a blush invaded his pale cheeks.

"All right, all right. Come on, I want some time alone with you before you go off to get yourself killed on a four-wheeler," Nadia teased as she feigned helping Shuichi to his feet.

Shuichi turned up his mouth, looking quite offended by that. On his way out, he patted Natsuki on the head, which got an almost child-like smile out of her. With Shuichi gone, the other siblings decided to get moving too, Natsuki included. She marched off, seemingly forgetting Shizuru, who went after her love without a thought.

"Natsuki?" Shizuru said in a quiet tone while walking shoulder to shoulder with the younger woman.

"Hmm?" Natsuki answered almost absently.

"Is Natsuki mad at me?" Shizuru actually sounded shy, as if she was worried, scared of the answer. She glanced away for a brief moment before turning to face her lover.

"No, why would I be?" the youngest Kruger countered with a slightly confused look on her face. Usually, Shizuru would have been thinking about how cute her Natsuki looked at that moment, but right now, she had other things on her mind.

"You just seem upset with me. You know, I would prefer it if you told me what I had done. Not talking has been a problem for us, after all," Shizuru pointed out.

Natsuki nodded; that was the truth and a half. "I'm not mad at you. I think I'm just a little off-put by how you're getting along with my mother. I never get along with her, even when I used to try and not even when she used to try," she admitted.

"And now both of you aren't trying?" Shizuru asked curiously.

"No, she's trying all right," the raven-haired Otome remarked, shaking her fist a little. Her mother tried her every last nerve.

Shizuru laughed a little, thinking that things could not be too bad if Natsuki could make a joke about things. "I'm glad that Natsuki isn't angry with me."

Natsuki smiled and took Shizuru's hand in hers to prove that she was not angry with her love. No, she was angry with her mother. She just wanted to get away from her mother, but now she was going to have to stay a little longer for some stupid party. She tensed up just thinking about it.

"If you continue getting worked up, I might have to ease you out of it," Shizuru commented, trying to tease Natsuki with a sultry look. She was about to be in for a surprise, though.

"You got any other fantasies?" Natsuki asked suddenly. She just needed to clear her head. One of Shizuru's patented, strange sexual fantasies would do the trick; she was certain of that.

Shizuru's expression was priceless. Blood-colored eyes were wide and her mouth hung out like a door on broken hinges. A second later, a devilish smile curled onto her lips and she grabbed Natsuki's hand to rush off toward their room. Oh, she was never short on fantasies.

----(Next day)

Shizuru was sitting in the garden with Saeko and the four Kruger wives. Nadia was several yards away from them, looking into the forest as the Kruger siblings roared off on their ATVs into the dark, dense woods not too far from their home. Shuichi waved from his space at the front and Nadia waved back.

"Try not to die! My parents will think it was my fault!" Nadia called with a grin on her face.

"What an uncultured barbarian, shouting in that manner," Rachelle commented, sneering in Nadia's general direction, but not looking directly at the blonde.

"Do you think so? I prefer to think of it as sweet that she would call out to her love while he's riding off," Shizuru countered with a smile dancing in her eyes. She had made it a point to say farewell to Natsuki earlier while telling Natsuki something similar to what Nadia told Shuichi.

"As if you have any more culture. You are here pretending to be engaged to Natsuki-hime to trick her parents," Rachelle stated, turning her nose up while speaking.

Shizuru noted the way Rachelle sort of twisted Natsuki's title out of her mouth. She also noted that Rachelle used the proper title instead of referring to Natsuki as "ouji-sama" like most others. She gathered that the title addition was done just because Saeko was sitting there.

"Well, what if I truly was engaged to Natsuki? I do have the ring to prove it," Shizuru remarked. It was nice to have an excuse to flash her ring again. All of their eyes rolled.

"Anyone can wear a ring," Sakura countered, almost harshly.

"I think you're sick to help her with this plan," Paige suddenly declared, eyes flashing with anger and disgust. "You should just give it up and let Natsuki-hime marry the only guy that ever wanted her."

"I would never give up on my precious Natsuki," Shizuru stated, a small, rather creepy smile playing on her lips. The other women were not too sure what to make of the look—or the fact that it stopped their hearts for a few beats, and not in a good way.

"You keep that up and we might think that you two are serious about it, which would be by far the strangest thing I have ever seen from any of them," Leonora commented dryly.

"Shizuru-san, surely your parents wouldn't approve of you playing this game," Saeko chimed in, which turned all eyes to her.

"My parents know all about the engagement. Poor Natsuki had to deal with so much teasing from my father," Shizuru laughed a little, recalling the phone call. Her dearest Natsuki had blushed the whole time, almost an hour. _It was too cute_.

Saeko eyed Shizuru for a long moment, trying to figure out if she was telling the truth. Shizuru wore a mysterious smile that seemed to suggest that one could believe whatever; she knew the truth, after all. Saeko's jaw tensed a bit.

"Why don't you just end this little farce, Shizuru-san? Natsuki's not fooling anyone. After all, she had been happily engaged to Takeda," Saeko pointed out.

Shizuru continued to smile, even though on the inside she was a little tripped up by that. She knew it was not true, but she did recall how Natsuki had enjoyed his company before Natsuki knew what his intentions were. How Natsuki could maintain such a sweet innocence was beyond Shizuru until now. Now, she sort of understood why Natsuki never seemed to think that guys were flirting with her or checking her out or anything; Natsuki's brothers had almost brainwashed her into thinking that she was a boy.

Shizuru did not mind that Natsuk's brothers had done such a thing. She thought that it was wonderful that they had gone so far to include Natsuki in their activities. She really felt like she understood Natsuki so much better now that she had met the Kruger clan.

"I wouldn't say that engagement was happy," Shizuru remarked with a knowing sparkle in her eye.

"She was dating him at the time he was given permission to marry her. I would say that is pretty happy," Saeko argued.

"Dating and happy do not correlate all of the time," Shizuru stated calmly. She knew about that first hand of course. She hoped that she would know about it less and less as time went on, as she did want to spend the rest of her life happily married to her dearest Natsuki.

"It would with Natsuki. She wouldn't have been out with him so many times if she did not enjoy being with him. That's how Natsuki-chan is, after all," Saeko commented.

The Otome smiled pleasantly, even though she was cursing in her mind. "You know your daughter pretty well."

"Of course I do. I also know what's best for her. I think you care about what's best for her, so you should help me convince Natsuki-chan that it's time for her to settle down, retire as an Otome, and come home," the Queen said.

"I'm not sure if I agree with that, though. I think that Natsuki-chan knows what she wants," Shizuru quipped, internally tickled at being able to say "Natsuki-chan" and not get reprimanded for it.

Before Saeko could say something in response, Nadia walked by their table. She would have kept on going, but Shizuru called out for her, beckoning her over with a gentle wave of her hand. She turned and gave the polite Otome a rueful smile.

"I'm very sorry, Graceful Amethyst. I am not quite welcomed at that party and if I were you, I would try not to get too comfortable," Nadia cautioned Shizuru.

Shizuru arched an eyebrow to that. "Excuse me a moment," she said to Saeko, forgetting really that the other women were there at all.

"Don't bother with her," Saeko said to Shizuru, but the Otome did not heed her words.

Shizuru trotted over to Nadia with all of the elegance that one would expect of Shizuru, but it still seemed odd to see her jogging. She had a feeling that she really needed to hear what the older woman had to say. Nadia appeared amused by the way that the Third Column practically rushed her.

"Not as graceful as the last time I saw you," Nadia remarked with a smile.

"What did you mean by your words?" Shizuru inquired curiously.

"Quite simply that you shouldn't get too comfortable there. I understand that they might accept you as you hold a noble ranking, but I think that works more against you than anything else," Nadia replied.

"Why do you say that?" the crimson-eyed woman asked.

"I tried getting close to Shuichi's parents the first time that he brought me here. He was so upset with them for being so disapproving of our marriage and I was trying to get along with them at the time to hopefully mend things because he was once the apple of their eye. It did not work. The more I spoke with his parents, the more upset it made Shuichi because he did not think it was our job to mend things. It was his parents that had to deal with things. He and Natsuki are quite similar, so right now, to Natsuki, you are getting friendly with her enemy. I don't know if it's to soften the blow of your engagement or just because you actually get along with Saeko, but I just think that your friendship is not going to help your relationship," Nadia explained.

"I'm not trying to be friends with Saeko."

"Then she's trying to be friends with you. You can help her get to Natsuki, after all. I'm shocked she's willing to talk to you, though."

"She doesn't believe I'm engaged to Natsuki, if that's what you mean," Shizuru stated.

Nadia nodded. "That explains it. Quite a scam you two have going," she laughed a little bit.

Shizuru gave a half-smile. "I know. It's almost scandalous. Poor Natsuki, she didn't know how to take it when they thought this was just a joke to get out of getting married. She hadn't anticipated this reaction."

"I'm sure she thought there would be a lot of glaring and passive-aggressive comments that basically said 'you're a disappointment, I can't believe you're our child, and we'll never accept this.' Shuichi got that reaction, though," Nadia remarked. Apparently, the Kruger parents could not react the same way twice.

"She doesn't know how to get them to believe her, so they can get past this phase."

"I would say kissing you would be the best way, but her parents would probably find a way to write it off. Has she thought about humping you at the dinner table?" Nadia joked.

"Natsuki probably couldn't even say the word to propose the idea."

Nadia could not help laughing at that. "She is so much like her big brothers. I can't help but wonder where they get the shy, modest nature from. After all, they all went to military school. I can't imagine they're shy and modest in military school."

"I thought it was just Natsuki's nature. So, it's inherited," Shizuru mused. "Thank you for the warning, Nadia-san. I will try to figure out the best course of action."

"Good luck. I hope you and Natsuki decide to get married soon, too. I'm sure with your influence General Armitage would then work up the courage to propose to the President sometime before she had her twentieth term," Nadia quipped.

"Setting her up for dictator for life?"

"She's got a good heart, so I wouldn't mind. Our Constitution might say something about it, though."

Shizuru laughed a bit and then Nadia was gone. Shizuru was left to think over the warning as she went back to her seat. She thought about how upset Natsuki had seemed last night. Would that continue the more that she spoke to Natsuki's mother? She hoped not.

--------------

The Kruger siblings returned, much rowdier than they left. They seemed to be fired up from their obviously muddy ride through the forest. They were laughing, joking, and jumping on each other, sharing their dirt. Shizuru doubted that she had ever seen Natsuki so filthy…at least not on purpose. But, Natsuki was smiling so brightly while she was with her brothers that being covered in mud, dirt, and leaves did not seem to bother her.

"Oi, Nat-kun, looks like your little girlfriend is taking quite a liking to Mom and our banshees," Hayate commented while nodding in the direction of their mother and wives.

Natsuki glanced over and frowned immediately at the sight. _What the hell was with Shizuru and her mother?_ She shook it off, trying to assure herself that she did not care or mind Shizuru getting cozy with her mother or her sisters-in-law. It was Shizuru's choice to do so. It was not like Shizuru was going to want to stay or hang out with them later on…_right?_

"Let's go get cleaned up," Natsuki muttered.

"Don't worry about it, Natsuki. She's probably just trying to convince Mom that it's okay for you two to get married," Shuichi tried to assure his little sister.

"You're probably right," the sister concurred, but something inside of her told her that was not the case.

Still, it ate at her to see Shizuru with them. She knew that she could not just let it fester. They had to talk about it. So, she gathered up her courage and decided to speak up when they were headed back to her room for the night.

"Shizuru, I've noticed you're talking with my mother a lot," Natsuki said, walking with her hands in her pockets.

"Yes, is there a problem?" Shizuru asked.

"A few actually. One being that I don't want my mom to change your mind on this," Natsuki explained. Her biggest fear at the moment was that something would make Shizuru take her ring off and decide not to marry Natsuki.

"I don't think there is anyone on the planet that persuasive, dearest Natsuki," Shizuru tried to assure her beloved while taking Natsuki's hand in hers.

"I'd like to think so," Natsuki said and that earned her hand a tight squeeze.

"What other problem is there with me socializing with your mother?"

"I don't want you to try to convince her that we should get married. It's her own thing to come to terms with. She'll either accept it or keep living this lie that she's having a grand time believing. You don't have to convince her otherwise," Natsuki stated.

"I was not completely trying that. I would like your parents to like me, though, as mine like you," the taller woman pointed out. Her parents adored Natsuki, even though they had a strange way of showing, but they seriously loved her. She would like that feeling with Natsuki's parents.

"We have two different sets of parents. Sure, they're both insane, but insane in different ways. My parents are very controlling while yours are so laidback I'm pretty sure they're on drugs," Natsuki remarked, which earned her a light slap from her beloved.

"Natsuki!" Shizuru reprimanded the slightly smaller woman.

"What? They could be!" Natsuki insisted, laughing as she spoke.

"Is that all? Is that why you don't like to see me speaking with your mother?" Shizuru asked curiously.

"Well…" Natsuki trailed off as they got to the bedroom. Natsuki's most consistent maids hurriedly opened the doors, which got them thanked. Shizuru chuckled as the pair looked ready to swoon; they were crushing so badly on Natsuki, she thought.

"So, Natsuki, are you going to tell me that other reason now?" Shizuru asked while Natsuki just flopped down on the floor.

The Second Column was quiet for a moment and she stared at the floor. She then turned her attention to Shizuru. Shizuru looked down at her with a soft, small, sincere smile on her face.

"You know, I think the thing that really bothers me has more to do with my relationship with my mother more than you talking to her. She seems to genuinely like you. I mean, she hasn't brought up your rank after figuring out who your father is and she hasn't said anything biting in your general direction. Every time my mother opens her mouth to say something about me, it's always about me. It's never to me and it's never something nice. She thinks I'm some kind of idiot while she just automatically adores you. I mean, I know everyone automatically adores you; hell, I fell right into line with that. But, it's just…I dunno… I think it hurts a little to see how my mother will accept damn near anyone except me…"

"Oh, Natsuki." Shizuru dropped to the floor and pulled Natsuki to her. She locked her love into a warm embrace. "I'm sorry that you're in pain. I wish there was something that I could do."

"It's all right, Shizuru. It's my problem. Well, actually, it's more her problem. I'm never going to be what she wants me to be. She's going to have to accept me or we're just going to be like this always. After all, I do like me and I don't plan on changing for her," the raven-haired woman said.

Shizuru smiled and kissed Natsuki's cheek. "It's good to know that Natsuki won't change. I like Natsuki as she is."

"I like Shizuru as she is too," Natsuki quipped. That earned her more kisses and she was able to relax somewhat. She decided to dismiss her mother from her mind and just focus on the good things, like her brothers being around and how they accepted her relationship with Shizuru.

--------------

Saeko and Ryo were in their bedroom, discussing the party that they had planned for a couple of days from now. They were quite glad that their children were all home and they thought that a celebration would best show that. They had been planning it for a while, ever since Natsuki announced that she was going to come home; Natsuki coming home was the easiest way to get the brothers to come back home.

"You seem to have taken a liking to Natsuki's friend," Ryo commented.

"Shizuru is quite the delightful lady. She is like a tolerable version of her father. I think we should have one of the young nobles at the party consider her as well as Natsuki. A nice young lady such as herself should not be used like Natsuki is doing, and she does deserve a good man as much as Natsuki does," Saeko said.

Ryo nodded. "I wish that Natsuki had just stayed with Takeda. She probably got scared."

"I'm sure that was it. He has such promise. I'm sure with a little more time, things would have worked out well between them," Saeko agreed.

"We shall see. It won't do for Natsuki to be alone for much longer. She's already an old maid."

"Hey, don't call our daughter that. She'll be fine. I can't believe she would come up with this insane plan using her friend to try to lie to us, though," Saeko said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"What a ridiculous plan that was. As if we would ever believe she's engaged to a woman. While she might think she's a boy, she's not that stupid," Ryo stated.

Saeko nodded, but she was curious. Did Natsuki think she was so much like her brothers that she truly believed that she could marry a woman? Saeko tried to shake the idea away, figuring that Shizuru would never allow Natsuki to think such a thing was proper. Still, there was something about the way Shizuru spoke about Natsuki that nagged at the back of Saeko's mind.

"I might have to keep an eye on them," Saeko muttered to herself.

--------------

Next time: It's party time. Guest starring: Haruka and Yukino.


	9. The nerve

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

9: The nerve

"Natsuki, come on, or we will be late to your own welcome home party," Shizuru called, speaking to her lover, who seemed to be lost inside of her large walk-in closet.

Natsuki could be heard cursing somewhere in the back of the closet, which was larger than most living rooms. Shizuru suspected that Natsuki was cursing out the clothes, as Natsuki did have a bad habit of swearing at non-living objects a lot. Shizuru sighed and contemplated going in the closet for the millionth time to tell Natsuki what to wear.

"Natsuki, you could just put on the dress," Shizuru suggested. She was wearing a cream-colored gown herself because of the party the Kruger royals were throwing. She hoped that she and Natsuki were going to make it to the thing sometime that century.

"I can't just wear a dress to this!" Natsuki shouted back, her tone implying that she thought that her love was seriously insane.

Shizuru sighed again and shook her head. She could guess why Natsuki would not be wearing a dress. Natsuki was home, where she was one of the boys with her beloved big brothers, and being one of the boys meant that she was not supposed to be wearing a dress. Of course, it was a plus that not wearing a dress would get on Saeko's nerves, which Natsuki was aiming for too.

Shizuru noticed there were not that many dresses in Natsuki's closet anyway, much like back at home; Natsuki's closet back home was actually full of casual clothing that she rarely got to wear with few formal clothing that she had to wear often. Her closet in Saxas was probably a product of her parents holding many formal functions because there were plenty of suits for Natsuki to wear, another reflection of how much she mimicked her brothers when she was around them and her desire to not be what her mother wanted.

The difference between Saxas and back home in regards to fashion was that Shizuru knew the area well enough to rush out and buy a dress for Natsuki at a moment's notice for parties and social gatherings. If she had known that they were making the trip, she would have packed a few dresses for her beloved, but with Natsuki packing…well, Shizuru just hoped that she had enough socks considering Natsuki always forgot the little things whenever she packed for anything.

"Natsuki, please, we're going to be late," Shizuru pointed out, which was odd. Usually, Natsuki was the punctual one between them. For the first time ever, Shizuru was dressed first. She was surprised that Natsuki packed one of her favorite dresses for her to wear, but then again, Natsuki liked seeing her in the dress and also liked that did not attract too much attention.

"We'll be fine. I'm just trying to find a specific suit that I wanted to wear to this," Natsuki assured her fiancée.

Well, that response was more promising than the last few that she had received, Shizuru decided. She folded her arms across her chest and tried her damnedest not think about how it would reflect on her if she and Natsuki were late for the party. Usually, she would not care, but she really wanted Natsuki's family to like her and she wanted to make a good impression on them, even the parents. She really wanted the Kruger family to like her much like the Viola family liked Natsuki; sometimes, she thought that Natsuki gave off a vibe that made anyone with the Viola name love her.

Shizuru was taken from her thoughts as Natsuki emerged from the closet with a triumphant grin; an outsider probably would have thought that she just staved off a world war from the expression. She was holding up a suit and Shizuru guessed that was the perfect outfit that kept Natsuki trapped in the closet…so to speak.

"Is Natsuki going to put it on or display it for all to see?" Shizuru asked, although she did not see the difference between the two. After all, to her, whenever Natsuki wore something it was a display.

Natsuki rolled her eyes and went to go put the suit on, away from her fiancée's eyes because she knew that Shizuru would hold them up even more if given the chance. Shizuru pouted when Natsuki ducked into the bathroom; she, of course, wanted to see Natsuki undress. The principal was back quickly, dressed and ready to go.

Shizuru let out a surprised breath at the sight of her lover. The suit, though clearly a men's suit, was tailored to fit Natsuki perfectly. It was a deep, dark blue that could be mistaken for black and hugged her curves in a way that Shizuru really wanted to do at that very moment. It was just as attractive as any dress on Natsuki in Shizuru's opinion; it was also nice to see Natsuki dressed in something a little different for a formal function than what Shizuru typically made her wear.

Underneath the suit, she had on a powder blue vest with a silver chain hanging from the side pocket; it was connected to a pocket watch. There was a small silver wolf's head pendent hanging from the chain; it appeared to be in the motion of howling. Underneath the vest, she wore a white shirt with a half-collar and a tie around it much like the one that she wore with her principal's outfit.

Topping things off, Natsuki pulled half of her hair into a loose ponytail, tying it back with a powder blue ribbon with an emerald clip; it was purposely chosen to match Shizuru's ring. The rest of her hair was left hanging freely as always.

"Shall we, milady?" Natsuki asked while offering her arm to her love. She could not help smiling as she did that, but she did fight off breaking into a complete laugh.

"Lets," Shizuru agreed with a small smile as she attached herself to the waiting limb. She liked this slightly silly side of Natsuki that she rarely got to see.

The couple walked to the main ballroom. Natsuki hated the next part, but endured it through all parties for the most part. She hated walking in and being announced for the rest of the people to know that she was there. Shizuru, on the other hand, loved that for a brief moment, yes, all eyes were completely on her and her love. Now, everyone could see what a perfect couple they were.

The servant doing the introductions seemed to be well practiced at it. Shizuru noted that he did not make the mistake of calling Natsuki "prince" while alerting the room to their arrival, but he certainly looked like he wanted to say it because of the way that Natsuki glared at him when he announced her as "the beautiful, lovely, intelligent princess..." In other words, he milked it, but she did let it go rather quickly.

For once, Natsuki seemed eager to enter a party, wanting to show off her lover to everyone that was there. Shizuru smiled; usually, it was the other way around with her wanting to show off Natsuki and Natsuki wanting to escape as soon as possible. The tan-haired Otome was also pleased to see an ocean of people attending the affair. So many people to show her ring off to!

First, the couple had to make necessary rounds and Natsuki had to make introductions. She explained in a whisper to Shizuru that most people attending were from the small cluster of islands that Saxas was a part of. The information was supposed to let Shizuru know that most of the people would not understand how she was engaged to a woman, but that damn sure did not stop Shizuru from flashing everyone and their mother the ring on her hand. She also made sure that all knew that _her Natsuki_ brought the ring for her.

"Natsuki-hime, is this the things that they teach you at that school? That it is proper to dress like a man and marry a woman?" a middle-aged noblewoman asked the princess, whose arm was pretty much nailed to Shizuru's waist.

"I always dressed like this, way before I left for school. It's quite the acceptable practice in many parts of the world for women to marry each other, Auntie," Natsuki replied calmly. The woman was not really her aunt, but an old friend of her mother's and she had grown up calling her "auntie," as she had with many of her mother's friends. Her father, thankfully, was too busy and suspicious to have any real friends. All of her parents' friends did make it a point to get on her case just like her parents, trying to make her be one thing, which only made her resist more.

"Not here it's not, and just because it's acceptable doesn't make it right," the noblewoman pointed out while glaring at Shizuru as if she was the devil herself…which she could be in all rights, but the point was that the woman did not know her well enough to know that yet. She was getting the glare just because Natsuki loved her.

"Unless of course it's accepted here, then it's always right. Saxas has never done anything wrong in history, after all," Natsuki remarked sarcastically.

Her "aunt" frowned and knew better than to get Natsuki started. Natsuki knew the history of her country backwards and forwards as well as current events and as much as she loved the place, she had no problem pointing out wrongdoings on their part. In the past, people made the mistake of arguing with her, thinking that just because she went against her parents' desires for her meant that she was somehow stupid. Far from it, and just because she went against her parents' wishes and sometimes ignored Saxas' customs did not mean that she did not know anything about the country or loved the place any less. Loving something did not mean it did not have faults and Natsuki knew that; hell, look at Shizuru, she would more than likely say.

"Where is your mother? I cannot believe that Saeko would approve of this," the noblewoman declared as she turned to leave.

"She knows my mother well," Natsuki quipped and let out a hollow laugh.

"I'll bet. So, how many other 'aunts' are you hiding?" Shizuru teased a little, knocking her love with her hip.

"Too many. My mother has a lot of friends, who all report back to her. They're like honey bees," Natsuki said.

Shizuru laughed as she got what her girlfriend was implying about Saeko. They circulated the room more, getting more negative reactions from other "aunts." Thankfully, the women restrained themselves from saying what was really on their minds because Natsuki was not sure if she would have stopped Shizuru or joined in when the older Otome inevitably lunged at them. Although, Natsuki noted, Shizuru was in a very good mood; good enough to not kill anybody if they said something negative about the relationship anyway.

Shizuru really was just having a good time, grinning like the cat that got the cream as she showed everyone with eyes her engagement ring. Sometimes, she just stopped and let the realization dawn on her once more; Natsuki loved her, Natsuki proposed to her, Natsuki wanted to get married and spend the rest of their lives together. It was enough to bring tears to her eyes.

"Shizuru, you okay?" Natsuki asked as she noticed the misty gaze fogging up her love's eyes.

"I'm fine," Shizuru tried to assure her.

"I think we should sit down for a moment and you can gather yourself again. I know it's a lot to deal with, everyone telling us what we're doing is wrong and all," Natsuki said while guiding her girlfriend to a chair along the wall.

Shizuru wanted to argue that no one else's opinions mattered to her, only Natsuki's, but she did not bother. She loved it when Natsuki showed concern for her and she would like to milk it a little bit. She pressed herself against the younger woman as if she was truly overwhelmed and grinned to herself when she felt Natsuki grip her tighter.

As they sat down, Shizuru thought about how nice it was that Natsuki would be somewhat openly affectionate around her. For a long time, she did fear that Natsuki was ashamed of her and that was why the Second Column would never take her home to Saxas. Being here now, she saw that nothing could be further from the truth. Natsuki was certainly not ashamed of her, not with the way that she was easily introducing Shizuru as her fiancée, after all.

"You holding up okay?" Natsuki asked Shizuru in a quiet tone as tawny hair tickled her chin because Shizuru was resting her head on Natsuki's shoulder.

"Of course. Natsuki acts like this is my first party," Shizuru remarked.

"Yeah, but it is the first party where no one has fallen for your charms and almost everyone I've had to introduce you to has looked at you with complete and undisguised disgust while making it seem like it's your fault that I'm not the perfect little princess they always envisioned. Like I wasn't an out-of-control maniac before I left home," the principal pointed out.

Shizuru laughed a little bit. "It doesn't bother me, Natsuki. I'm happy that you decided to overcome the obvious obstacles that you had to in order to be in a relationship with me, and I'm happy that you decided to ask me to be your wife. Those are the only things that matter to me right now."

Natsuki smiled, glad to know that. She was about to say something else, but Nadia suddenly approached, dragging poor Shuichi with her. Shuichi was the first Kruger sibling that the Otomes saw that night and Shizuru was ready to laugh when she saw that Shuichi was dressed almost exactly like Natsuki. The suit was the same design—cut, of course, to fit him—and everything was the same color. He was wearing a full collar shirt and plain blue tie, but that were the only differences. Shizuru wondered how much of Natsuki's home wardrobe was modeled after he brothers' clothing. Shuichi appeared to be just as happy as Natsuki to be at the gathering too.

"So, how are the guests of honor holding up?" Nadia asked, teasing just a little bit if her tone and that devilish smile meant anything.

"I'm already considering just sneaking away, or at least hoping that Koji does some drinking to make things awkward," Natsuki remarked with a light laugh. She then turned to explain to Shizuru the joke. "Koji gets really honest when he gets drunk and he happens to be very good at intelligence gathering thanks to his time in the military. Nothing worse than a guy that knows all of your secrets letting everyone else know."

"I can imagine," Shizuru muttered.

"I doubt you can. He's a very special kind of drunk," Shuichi commented with a fond expression on his face. It was always so easy to see how much the Kruger siblings loved and respected each other; they just could not hide it in their eyes.

"He comes across as being totally in control, so it seems like he's not drunk and his speech is always perfect. In fact, you can tell how drunk he is the more his speech improves. He sounds almost like he's making a presidential address, which sucks for those he starts talking about," Natsuki explained.

"Speaking of president, I am came over here to inform you two that you're not alone in the party and there are people here to support you," Nadia informed them. "Shu-shu made sure of that." She then patted her husband's muscular abdomen.

Shuichi choked on his rage and his words while a blush shot right up to his face, staining his cheeks a now familiar crimson. Shizuru almost wanted to high-five Nadia from the way that she got reactions out of Shuichi. He must have sensed that because he started grumbling and folded his arms across his chest as if he was offended.

"What did you do, Shuichi-onii-sama?" Natsuki asked curiously. Shizuru could not help thinking about how adorable it was for Natsuki to call her big brother by his title like that, so proper with him, yet they were all so totally inappropriate.

"I didn't do a damn thing," Shuichi answered, staying in his defensive stance.

Natsuki did not have a chance to ask again. The surprise had a way of making itself known, especially after it spotted the principal of Garderobe and her fiancée. Shizuru and Natsuki winced as they guessed who was on their side.

"Bubuzuke, what's this about you being engraved before me?!" General Haruka Armitage demanded to know as she stormed over in her usual, over-the-top, unique manner. Yukino walked calmly behind her, seemingly either not noticing the stares that her loud Otome was receiving, or blocking them out thanks to having reached that point in her life with Haruka.

"She says that like Shizuru did it to spite her," Nadia muttered to herself with a small chuckle.

"How'd you get engraved before I did?!" the blonde demanded to know as she now stood face-to-face with her favorite rival.

"Engaged, Haruka-chan," Yukino quietly corrected.

"That's what I said!" Haruka insisted before turning her attention back to the conniving "bubuzuke." "Well, how'd you do it?!"

Shizuru smiled a little, looking almost angelic (what a bold lie!). "It is quite simple, Haruka-san. Natsuki asked and I accepted," she stated plainly, knowing that it would only set the blonde off more. She wondered who spilled the beans about the engagement anyway.

Haruka actually seemed surprised by that information, blinking hard several times as her mind processed what she just heard. She turned her attention to Natsuki, who did not typically enjoy dealing with Haruka, but was thankful for the familiar chaos. The principal stood up to face Haruka on the level and the blonde glared daggers at her.

"How could you just ask?" Haruka hissed.

"Uh…I could have sworn that was what you were supposed to do if you wanted someone to marry you. So, I asked because I want Shizuru to marry me," Natsuki answered. She briefly wondered if she had gone about proposing in the wrong way, but running through it in her memory, she knew that she had done everything right.

"She's just upset that you had the guts to do it, Natsuki-chan," Nadia commented with an amused smile on her face.

"What!" Haruka shouted. No one had more guts than she did!

"Don't call me that!" Natsuki snorted indignantly.

While Haruka and Natsuki were busy being offended, Shizuru turned her attention to Yukino. They greeted each other civilly and Shizuru wasted no time showing off her ring to the Aries president. It was those actions that turned attention away from Nadia to Third Column and president.

"It is a lovely ring, Shizuru-san," Yukino admitted with a fond smile. There was an underlying sadness in her tone and eyes, though.

"I know! My Natsuki has such good taste," Shizuru declared proudly, beaming right before everyone's eyes. Generally, she would have been more sensitive to Yukino's emotions, but right now, she was just so into her own joy that she needed to let everyone know.

Natsuki grinned, looking quite proud of herself. Haruka frowned and then gulped when she noticed how Yukino was admiring the engagement ring. As dense as the General could be, she could tell the look of longing in her master's face from a mile away. The blonde suddenly yanked Natsuki aside, earning some curious glances from the other four people standing with them, but those did not last long.

"I would ask you if you're crazy, but I already know the answer to that. What the hell is the big idea pulling me like that, though?" Natsuki demanded to know.

"Shh!" Haruka replied. "Could you…um…maybe…gimme some tips?" she requested in a voice that was well below a whisper.

"Give you some tips?" Natsuki echoed incredulously. The expression on her face made it seem like Haruka transformed into some five-headed, snarling beast right before her eyes.

"Yes, tips. On how to…you know…propose," Haruka stated, continuing her whisper. She was certain that she would die of embarrassment if anyone knew that she was asking Natsuki, of all people, advice on how to propose.

"Oh." Natsuki absently scratched her cheek. "I don't really have any tips. I just felt like it was the right time to make an honest woman out of Shizuru and take our relationship to the next level. I mean, we've been together for ten damn years, going on eleven actually. It's about freaking time for this now that I think about it. I mean, what kind of couple goes out for ten years and aren't married? Hell, I think by Windbloom laws, we're actually common-law spouses considering how long we've lived together," she rambled.

Haruka nodded, as if she understood, which she did and she did not. She glanced over at Yukino, thinking about how long she had known the brunette, how long she had served her, and how long she had been with her. She wondered if Natsuki's logic applied. Hell, Yukino's expression made it seem so.

"You think I should?" Haruka asked quietly.

"I think she'd like it. Look at it this way, you see how Shizuru's glowing from the ring? Imagine Yukino like that and then ask yourself if you would love to see her that happy and shining. If you say yes, I would say do it. Of course, I didn't have a reference like this, but you'll know when the time is right for you," Natsuki answered.

--------------

"What do you think they're talking about?" Nadia asked while nodding toward Natsuki and Haruka.

"I think that the General is yelling at Natsuki for having the nerve to propose," Shuichi remarked with a small laugh.

"How dare she!" Nadia added in, chuckling herself.

"I can't believe Natsuki actually proposed to you," Yukino said, still marveling over Shizuru's engagement ring.

"You can't believe it? Imagine my surprise considering how shy and reserved I know that Natsuki can be," Shizuru commented, giggling ever-so slightly.

"Did she stutter? This big lug took ten minutes to say three sentences," Nadia informed the ladies while patting her husband on the stomach. He let out a disgruntled noise, but did not say anything. A little blush did stain his cheeks.

"It took her a moment to get going, but once she did, she made it through the whole thing without stumbling," Shizuru answered with a proud smile.

"That's good. It seems like with the Krugers, they get shyer the further along they are in the sibling line," Nadia stated.

"No, we don't. Krugers are not shy," Shuichi declared with a grunt.

"Wait, Shuichi-san, you are Natsuki-san's relative?" Yukino asked curiously. She could now she a strong resemblance in the pair.

"I'm her big brother," Shuichi answered with unmistakable pride.

"Really? Why have neither of you mentioned that until now?" Yukino asked the married couple. She had known them, Nadia especially, for many years and they never said anything about the principal of Garderobe being related to them.

"Never really came up in conversation," Shuichi muttered, glancing away, feeling like he was being scolded by the president.

"But, I'm sure thinking about on it, you can see how they're very much siblings," Nadia teased.

Yukino glanced at Shuichi and then at Natsuki, who seemed to be finishing up with Haruka. Yukino could not help nodding because as she thought about Shuichi and Natsuki were very, very similar and she did not mean in looks. From what she knew about their behavior and mannerisms, it gave away that they were related and raised together.

"I still can't believe this gutless wander proposed to you," Haruka said to Shizuru while eyeing the engagement ring with some disdain. There were a few puzzled looks.

"She means 'gutless wonder'," Yukino told them. They nodded in understanding.

"You are sure she proposed to you of her own freewill? You didn't trick her like you always do, did you?" the blonde asked in a suspicious tone.

Natsuki's face practically hit the floor. Haruka, dense-as-a-fucking-brick Haruka, was able to see through all of those times that Shizuru had tricked her?! Natsuki could not believe it. She could not help wondering if she was the only one that never saw through all of the games that Shizuru used to play with her. Sure, she knew that her lover did not mean it in any malicious manner, but it was still quite manipulative.

Before they were able to get into any deeper conversation, the announcement of another arrival occurred. It would not have caught their attention if for not an addition to the visiting Baroness that was walking with her niece. The niece's name was announced as Tomoe.

The small group turned to see the entering Tomoe, thinking that it might be a different one from who they had in mind. The green hair gave her away and strangled all of their prayers that it was a different Tomoe. The years had not been kind to her, as it was clear to them all that she was still the same person that they had either met, or in Nadia and Shuichi's cases, heard stories about.

Natsuki growled. She thought that she was rid of that little bitch! But, no, now she had to see that vile thing in her home, eating her family's food, sharing their wine, and maybe even socializing with someone that she might like. She could not stand for it, especially not knowing that Shizuru might have had a little fun with Tomoe in the past.

"Natsuki," Shizuru said as she wrapped her arm around her lover. It was more to keep Natsuki from bolting off at that very moment to go murder Tomoe than anything else. It did not seem as if Natsuki had heard the plea at all.

--------------

Next time: Tomoe brings a little trouble with her.


	10. Life of the party

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

10: Life of the party

Natsuki was seeing red at the moment. Well, more like she was seeing green. She was seeing the familiar sea-green hair of Tomoe, her wannabe rival. The girl—well, woman now—was walking into the party thrown by the King and Queen with her aunt, who happened to be a visiting Baroness. The only thing stopping Natsuki from bolting over to Tomoe and, at the least, arresting her for her betrayal of Garderobe, was Shizuru. Shizuru knew that if Natsuki got her hands on Tomoe, arrest would be the last thing on her mind.

"Natsuki, it is your family's 'welcome home' party," Shizuru reminded her vexed lover while making sure to keep a firm grip around the livid principal's arm. She just hoped that Natsuki did not get the "bright" idea to materialize because there was no way that Shizuru was taking a big-ass bullet for Tomoe. Natsuki was not easing up, even though it was her family's social gathering and she knew that her mother would never let her forget it if she went wild on a guest. In fact, she would be proving her mother right if she touched Tomoe, but she really did not give a damn.

"Isn't that the bitch that tried to beat you out of office?" Nadia asked Yukino with a curious and slightly upset expression on her face.

"Nadia-san, I would prefer you not use that term," Yukino answered with a slight blush. Despite the fact that she was used to hearing a lot of swearing, especially from people close to her, she still was not a fan of foul language.

"I'm going to go say hi," Natsuki remarked in a tense tone as she tried to walk off, but Shizuru held her in place.

"You will not. This is your family's welcome home party for you and your brothers. You will not shed any blood, especially as poisonous as Tomoe's, here," Shizuru stated in a tone that told her love not to argue with her. Natsuki did not heed the tone.

"She doesn't have any right to be here. She's not welcomed here," Natsuki declared with a fire in her emerald eyes.

"Is that any reason to cause a scene?" Shizuru asked, pleading with her lover.

"Hell, yeah," Natsuki answered and she got nods of agreement from both her brother and Haruka. They would be more in agreement with her if they were aware of the main reason that the principal wanted to rip Tomoe limb from limb.

"Let's go have a talk with her," Shuichi suggested. He got nods of agreement from his sister and Haruka.

The impulsive trio walked off before their counterparts could say anything. Shizuru, Nadia, and Yukino all shared the same exasperated look before following and trying to stop the three before something bad happened. Of course, it would be hard to stop something bad from happening considering the three people leading the charge.

"So, they can't have anymore play dates," Nadia remarked with a good-natured smile. She hoped that they caught their loves before they did do anything stupid, and heaven knew those three were capable of doing something enormously stupid.

"Ara, ara, are you kidding? Natsuki will be grounded in her room after this," Shizuru quipped, forcing out a smile of her own.

The trio in pursuit did catch up to the impulsive three before they made it to Tomoe or her aunt. Natsuki, Haruka, and Shuichi were then thoroughly scolded about their behavior and how they almost ruined the party. They did have the decency to appear properly reprimanded after that.

"I swear, I don't know how any of you Krugers made it to adulthood with the way that you rush off into everything," Nadia commented while shaking her head.

"Strength in numbers," Natsuki muttered.

"Numbers? How many siblings do you have?" Yukino asked curiously, purposely changing the subject and hoping to get the focus away from Tomoe.

"Counting Shuichi, I have five big brothers," Natsuki answered proudly, smiling as she spoke.

"That expects a lot," Haruka muttered, speaking more to herself than anything else. Yukino heard and could not help whispering a correcting, "Explains, Haruka-chan." The Otome did not bother with her usual defense, just smiling her thanks to her master.

"Wait, I just realized that you and Shizuru-san went to school with Natsuki. You have to tell us how she was back then. It was her first time on her own and away from her brothers. She was probably like a lost puppy," Nadia quipped, eyes shining with mischievous delight now.

Natsuki frowned. "How about I introduce you to the Kruger clan first? You can meet our other brothers and our parents," she proposed to avoid having to die of embarrassment once Shizuru and Haruka started talking. After all, it was not like either of them knew how to filter stories—or, at least, censor them.

"That would be nice," Yukino agreed with a nod. She had been curious about the rulers of Saxas. She was hoping that they could work up some sort of diplomatic relationship, but Nadia and Shuichi told her that would be a long, hard road thanks to the King and Queen being "grouchy, stubborn, elitist jackasses"…Well, that was how Shuichi put it anyway.

"I think I'm going to have a drink, then," Shuichi commented, trying to escape now.

"Oh, no, you're not. There will be no drinking and you're not ditching us," Nadia commanded, holding onto her husband's arm with a tight grip.

Shuichi groaned, but he did stick close to the group. He did make it a point to glare at Natsuki; it was a very familiar cold stare, Shizuru and Haruka noted. Natsuki ignored her big brother's glare; yes, she would rather deal with their parents than deal with Shizuru and Haruka sharing stories about her as a Coral in Garderobe. Shuichi prayed that they found a brother before a parent; too bad finding a brother usually meant a spouse was with him, though.

"Hey, they're all huddled together in the corner," Shuichi noted, nodding in the direction that he spotted their brothers. The four remaining Kruger siblings were off to the side, standing together, speaking in low tones.

"Maybe they have an escape plan," Natsuki prayed aloud.

"Or at least something to stab me in the eyes with, so I don't have to witness anymore of this party," Shuichi added.

"Cut that out," Nadia scolded her husband, giving him a playful swat to the stomach.

Shuichi rolled his eyes, but he did not say anything further. The group made it over to the brothers, who were speaking in very whispered tones. The four brothers almost jumped out of their skins when they noticed that people were on them.

"We thought you were the harpies," Koji remarked, explaining their behavior. He wiped a nervous sweat from his forehead while the others breathed sighs of relief.

"So you are plotting an escape," Shuichi surmised with hope in his voice.

"Yeah, we figured that the folks would be too occupied with important guests and looking to fix Nat-kun up to notice us make a fast exit," Hayate pointed out.

"You were just going to ditch me?" Natsuki almost shouted, but she caught herself enough for her words to come out as an angry hiss.

"Looking to hook you up? But, aren't you already engaged to the bubuzuke?" Haruka asked Natsuki while jabbing her thumb in Shizuru's direction.

"Long story short, my parents think I'm lying about my engagement to Shizuru as a way to get out of having to get married," Natsuki explained and the confused look in Haruka's face showed that she understood it just about as well as everyone else.

"So, you're lying about getting married to avoid getting married?" Yukino inquired, wondering if that even made any sense.

"They're going to be damned shocked when Nat-kun walks down the aisle with Shizuru-san," Kenta remarked with a smile.

"Nah, they'll still think they're just playing a game. Maybe you should let Mom and Dad witness the consummation of the marriage," Koji joked.

"Gross!" Natsuki balked and had to bite back the urge to throw up.

"Do they really think that you're lying to them?" Yukino asked in sheer disbelief. She could not see how anyone would believe such a thing when it came to Shizuru and Natsuki. She saw them on rare occasions, and even she knew how deep their love ran.

"Around here, our type of relationship…it's not even that it's not done. It's not talked about; it's not believed that something like this could happen. It's not just taboo, but it's almost like telling an adult that the tooth fairy is real," Natsuki tried to explain. She doubted that someone that was not from Saxas could ever thoroughly understand how same-sex couples were viewed; Saxas custom made it seem like such a thing was just impossible and could never, ever happen.

"It can't be all that bad if your brothers believe you," Yukino reasoned.

"Well, I've been padding them for this for years, dropping all kinds of hints about Shizuru and our relationship. Besides, I don't think they've figured out that I'm quite female yet," Natsuki remarked with a smile tossed her brothers' way.

"It's true," Kenta agreed with a shrug.

"Nat-kun is our baby brother," Koji declared while putting his arm around Natsuki's shoulder. He then punched her in the shoulder, quite hard, but she just took it.

"For us, it makes as much sense that Natsuki marries a woman as it is for us to marry one," Hiroshi added.

"But, others don't see it as so natural?" Yukino asked. She refrained from questioning how the brothers would feel if they did not think of Natsuki as a little brother. Haruka seemed to read her mind, though.

"Would you fellas be so reciting if Natsuki wasn't your 'baby brother'?" Haruka inquired and was met by blank stares for a couple of reasons. The first reason was one of the reasons that people always looked at her a little off; she misused a word. The second reason was because the brothers did not have a clue who she was.

"I think she means receptive," Yukino said. There were a few words that her Otome could have meant.

Shuichi stepped in since he knew Haruka. He scratched his head. "I'd like to think we would. We love Nat-kun no matter what. It just so happens that we look at her like she's just the same as us, so maybe that does make it easier. The point is, though, we accept her for who she is and for who she loves," he chimed in. Nadia could not help smiling.

Natsuki then started her rounds of introductions since her brothers and Haruka seemed satisfied with those words. Shizuru took that time to admire the ring that she had been showing off all night. A small smile crept onto her face as usual. She still could not believe that Natsuki proposed to her, that Natsuki really wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. It was just incredible; they really did come out of everything stronger than before, she thought. And then something came to challenge that thought.

"Shizuru-onee-sama," a voice behind her tried to purr, but it came out as more of a hiss.

Shizuru did not have to turn around to know who it was. She did not want to make any sudden movements either or she would gather Natsuki's attention. Right now, Natsuki was focused on her brothers, animatedly talking with them and allowing them to become familiar with Haruka and Yukino. Shizuru wanted things to stay that way because she did not want to find out what Natsuki might do to Tomoe in a country that she was not likely to be punished for savagely killing a former student.

"I suppose you just have a death wish, daring to show up in Natsuki's home like this," Shizuru commented in a low voice. She sounded normal while making that statement, which was done on purpose to show that she had no emotional correction to Tomoe being dead at all.

"I knew you would be here, onee-sama. You know, I forgive you for tricking me. I should have known better really," Tomoe remarked and Shizuru could tell from her tone alone that she was smiling.

"I don't want your forgiveness, nor do I need it. Now, go away," Shizuru ordered in a calm voice, eyes still focused on Natsuki.

"I will not. I know that you know how much I love you. I still love you. That's why I'm able to forgive you for tricking me. I know that you tend to trick the ones you love, so I should have seen it coming," the green-haired woman reasoned…or what she thought was reasoning anyway.

Shizuru almost flinched; apparently, Tomoe still was not mentally sound. The fair-haired Otome was able to maintain her composure, though. She could feel that Tomoe was stepping closer to her, but thankfully, the former student halted before she was right on Shizuru.

"Ara, ara, you are delusional," Shizuru stated, still keeping her usual voice.

"I could take you away right now. You would have to be mine," Tomoe said, whispering now since she was closer.

"And why would I have to do that?"

"I would tell the Principal what you did. Tell her how you loved me when we were together," Tomoe pointed out, a wicked smile curving on her lips.

Shizuru was silent for a moment and Tomoe felt bold then. She stepped closer and actually wrapped her arms around the older woman, pressing herself into the older Otome's back. Shizuru's breath hitched from shock; she did not think that Tomoe would do something like that in front of so many people with Natsuki less than ten feet away. Tomoe was not done with just embracing Shizuru, but she dared to nuzzle her face in Shizuru's neck and inhale Shizuru's scent.

"I'm sure if Natsuki knew how much you really loved me, she would let you go and we could be together," Tomoe whispered in a shocked Shizuru's ear.

"I'm sure if Natsuki knew why the hell you're hugging her fiancée like that, she'd want to kick your ass twice as hard," Natsuki commented as she stepped over to the situation. She quickly tugged Shizuru away from the younger woman and placed a soothing, but possessive arm around Shizuru's waist.

"Principal," Tomoe hissed.

"Tomoe, I'm giving you five seconds to leave my home and never bother Shizuru again or I'll shoot you, right here, at my fucking welcome home party," Natsuki stated plainly.

"She won't be the only one shooting," Shuichi chimed in as he came to stand by his sister. He glared down at Tomoe with the same intense stare as his little sister did. The Kruger siblings stepped up with the same look in their eyes.

"And bullets won't be the only thing you need to duck," Haruka added in as she stepped into the scene. She still owed Tomoe for daring to think that she could replace Yukino, as well as nearly ruining the home of Otome when she decided to betray Garderobe.

"You appear to be outnumbered," Hiroshi observed. He thought it necessary to point out the obvious because Tomoe did not seem like the brightest bulb in the pack considering the way that she was flirting with Natsuki's fiancée right in front of everyone.

"You can't keep Shizuru-onee-sama away from me," Tomoe declared with a cocky glint in her eyes and a matching smirk.

"Yes, I can. That's the easy part. Keeping your insane ass away from Shizuru seems to be the problem," Natsuki growled.

"She loves me," Tomoe proclaimed as if it was the truth and loud enough for anyone with in a ten yard radius to hear her. Her voice did attract a few eyes, watching the scene as it grew.

"Shizuru was doing no such thing. She was using you and she was using you because I told her to do so," Natsuki informed the self-righteous, green-haired welt in front of her. The cocky expression dropped as each word hit Tomoe and it was all punctuated with the confident look on the principal's face.

"Liar!" Tomoe hollered and she actually launched herself at Natsuki.

The principal was surprised, but that did not stop her from springing into action. She grabbed Tomoe and put her into a tight hold, forcing the younger woman to the floor, on her knees. Tomoe grunted and groaned, but Natsuki did not let up. The more Tomoe struggled, the more pressure Natsuki put on her back and legs while she was in the hold. A crowd of people were now watching and only a select few looked proud of what was going on; those few were the ones closest to the action.

"Shizuru doesn't want anything to do with you. You're just obsessed with her. She doesn't love you and she never will. Get that through your crazy skull before I have to break something," Natsuki snarled, speaking into Tomoe's flushed ear.

"It's you she doesn't love," Tomoe countered with a growl of her own. Her face was turning a dark red from anger and pain.

"Then why the hell would she be marrying me?" Natsuki demanded to know, slamming against the younger woman, causing her to grunt.

Before Tomoe could answer, several important people made their way over to the scene. The first two were Natsuki's parents. After them, Tomoe's aunt was on the scene. Natsuki's parents glared at her; it was clear that the Kruger glare was inherited. The stare did not get Natsuki to move, though.

"Natsuki-chan, let our guest up," Saeko commanded in a stern, reprimanding tone. From the way her voice sounded, she might as well have blamed the whole incident on Natsuki and called her daughter an uncultured, barbarian pig while she was at it.

"I will do no such thing until she acknowledges that Shizuru is mine," Natsuki replied and she put more pressure on Tomoe just because her parents were there. Tomoe winced from the intense ache and closed one eye for a moment, hoping that the agony would pass.

"This again," the aunt sighed. "I do apologize, Princess Natsuki. I thought that my niece was well enough to attend this function. I was unaware that you would bring Viola-san. And even though you did, I and my family had hoped that she was past this by now," the aunt explained with a very sincere bow.

"She obviously isn't and unless you want to be minus one niece, I would get her out of here," Natsuki declared with a growl, keeping her attention mainly on her quarry.

Tomoe growled too, as if she was going to do something, but as soon as Natsuki let her up, she went to her aunt's side. Tomoe had a glint in her eye, as if she really wanted to challenge Natsuki right there at that very moment, but she was wise enough to leave. She and her aunt were escorted away by palace guards, just to be certain that Tomoe made it off of royal grounds.

Natsuki turned her attention to her fiancée and put a possessive arm around the older Otome's waist, daring someone else to try and claim Shizuru. Most of the guests went about their business, even though they really wanted to see more of the show. Saeko stared at her daughter for a long moment. Natsuki defiantly looked back, challenging her mother to say something. Saeko balked for once, turning to mingle once again, not desiring to start another scene in front of so many people.

"Well, I think we just lived through the most exciting part of this shindig," Hayate declared with a laugh.

"You should've beat that girl's ass! How dare she come and try to take your woman like that," Kenta proclaimed, making a tight fist. He was ready to follow after Tomoe, tugging his little sister with him, to make sure that Tomoe never tried that stunt again. Shizuru was starting to see why Natsuki called Kenta her twin.

"You think I didn't want to beat her ass? That little bitch has been chasing Shizuru for years and for some stupid reason thinks that Shizuru is in love with her!" Natsuki huffed, frowning deeply as she thought about the green-haired menace that desired her one and only love.

"Natsuki, calm down. She's gone now," Shizuru said, placing a soothing hand on Natsuki's stomach.

Natsuki was about to bark something else about Tomoe, but found the fingers dancing across her abdomen to be distracting, as both she and her lover knew they would be. She forgot what she was going to utter, which also gave Shizuru a chance to request that she and Natsuki speak in private. Natsuki was taken aback by the request and blinked hard, wondering if she was in trouble. Her brothers seemed to think so, if their jeering expressions meant anything.

"Good to see that even Natsuki gets in trouble with her girlfriend," Hiroshi remarked, chuckling just a little.

"Just shows that she is definitely our little brother," Koji chimed.

"Natsuki is not in trouble," Shizuru assured everyone, even though the words were meant to put Natsuki at ease the most. She did not want Natsuki to be embarrassed, thinking that she just got put in her place in front of her big brothers and she did not want Natsuki to worry, thinking that she had done something wrong.

"Well, if it's nothing bad…" Natsuki conceded.

Natsuki led Shizuru away from the group, going outside to a quiet little garden for them to talk. They failed to notice a pair of eyes following them out of the hall. Saeko wondered what her daughter was up to and contemplated following the pair out, just to ease her mind that Natsuki was not trying to sneak out…or something else even more unsavory than that. Unfortunately—or fortunately depending on who was asked—Saeko had to keep her attention to some rather important guests that she was engaging at the moment.

Natsuki and Shizuru stood outside in the cool night air, still able to hear the music and chatter inside the hall. The ebony-haired princess could not help wondering why Shizuru had a sudden urge to speak in private. She honestly thought that she was in trouble and Shizuru just said that she was not to allow her the chance to save face in front of her brothers. It was a sweet gesture, she thought, but she would still rather not be in trouble.

"Natsuki, I want to talk to you about Tomoe," Shizuru confessed.

"Look, I know I was out of line in there, but damn it, she pisses me off!" Natsuki started, fully prepared to defend her actions. She figured her behavior toward the green-haired pest was the reason that she was in trouble.

"I don't want to talk about what you did in there to her, but what I did with her that night," Shizuru informed her lover.

Natsuki was about to say something else, but Shizuru's words reached her brain. She closed her mouth and blinked hard a couple of times as she realized that she really was not in trouble. Taking a second to think about it, she was certain that she would prefer to be in trouble. She did not want to hear about what Shizuru did with Tomoe, even if she acted like she did. It would just be too much, especially knowing that she was the one that set the whole thing up. As much as she could like to blame Shizuru, the principal was starting to think that it was all her fault because it was her plan.

"Shizuru, you don't have to tell me. Thinking about it…thinking about what I asked of you…" Natsuki trailed off as Shizuru put a delicate index finger to her lips, halting any other words from the principal.

"You had an idea to save the entire world; you could've asked anything of me. Not only is it my duty as an Otome, but you know by now that I would do anything that Natsuki requested of me. Our sacrifice was small considering what others lost. But, I am the one that invited this mess into our lives," Shizuru argued gently.

"You didn't. I did by asking you to toy with her. I practically turned you into a prostitute for our cause!" the principal yelped as those words escaped her and the realization dawned on her that that was just what she had done. She had used the love of her life like a prostitute and then had the nerve to be upset over it long after it was over. _I'm an ass!_

"Stop it," Shizuru commanded with force, getting Natsuki's total attention again. "I don't want to hear that kind of talk. You never told me to sleep with her or anything of the like. You just wanted me to manipulate her, which I did. You didn't force me out there like a pimp would a prostitute, so stop it. Understood?"

Natsuki nodded like a scolded child. Shizuru looked sternly at her love for a few seconds, which kept Natsuki appearing to be quite the reprimanded child. After those seconds passed, Shizuru pulled Natsuki to her in a light embrace.

"I don't want us to get married without you knowing the complete truth," Shizuru explained in a whisper, breathing into Natsuki's ear. The younger woman felt her knees growing weak thanks to the closeness of their bodies, pressing of Shizuru's rising chest against her own, and the loving breeze caressing her ear.

Natsuki sighed, knowing that she did need to hear the complete truth. She did not want that to be something looming over them for her to use to put her foot in her mouth years down the line if she and Shizuru had a major disagreement or something. Besides, she could tell from the pleading look in those crimson eyes that the truth was burdening Shizuru. She needed to take that weight away from her lover and they both would be able to put it behind them, moving forward with their relationship.

"Tell me…" Natsuki requested in a whisper.

--------------

Saeko caught sight of Natsuki and Shizuru through one of the large windows that opened up into the garden. She watched carefully as the couple stood close to each other, Shizuru seemingly whispering in Natsuki's ear. Saeko doubted that they knew they were being watched, yet they still appeared to be pretending, as she saw it, to be a couple.

"_Could it be…?_" Saeko asked herself. She had heard stories about same-sex couples happening in certain parts of the world, but she honestly could not fathom how it worked…and she was not even a native of Saxas. For the people of Saxas, they could not see anything beyond a male and female pairing because that was what they were used to, that was what produced children, and that was what they reviewed as natural. Male and female coupling was not only logical and right, but just the only possible way a romantic relationship could happen. Anything else was friendship as far as the people in Saxas were concerned, no matter how deep the emotions ran and it never let to anything sexual.

Saeko eyed her daughter and considered her. Natsuki had never been a very good actor; none of the Kruger offspring were good actors. But, ever since her arrival with Shizuru, she had been doing quite a good job at pretending they were a couple. At the moment, she was doing an excellent job of keeping up the act, even though as far as Natsuki knew, no one was around.

"It couldn't be. It's just not possible. How would they…?" Saeko shut her own thought process down because she really did not want to think too hard on it. She did not understand it. It just could not be possible. Natsuki and Shizuru could not be a real couple.

But, the more that Saeko watched the two, the more she started to believe that they were not acting. The way that Shizuru held Natsuki as she finished saying whatever she had to say, the pleading in her eyes. The way that Natsuki hesitated only for a moment and then wrapped Shizuru in a tight, loving embrace, forgiving the taller woman for some transgression it would seem. Natsuki cradled Shizuru's head against her shoulder, lovingly running one hand through tanned locks. It all just seemed more than necessary for friends.

"Maybe she's just consoling Shizuru and convincing her to keep up their little façade," Saeko decided...but something deep down ate at her and told her that she knew the truth.

--------------

Next time: Saeko steps in to play matchmaker, setting Natsuki up on a lunch date with a gentleman named Eiji. Will Shizuru stand for such a thing?


	11. Play date

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

11: Play date

Natsuki hugged Shizuru for a little while longer, letting the stars witness her forgiveness to her love. Shizuru let loose a tearless sob as Natsuki held her. She nuzzled her face in warm, creamy flesh while Natsuki continued to hug her. A feeling that Shizuru never knew could exist washed over her, making her feel free and clean; she knew the feeling was brought on by Natsuki's generous heart.

"You're too good to me," Shizuru whispered.

"I'm nothing of the sort and you know it, but if you think so, then maybe you'll skip the rest of the party with me?" Natsuki suggested with a hopeful smile.

"No. This is Natsuki's welcome home party," Shizuru replied, trying to keep a stern voice, but her voice was still a bit raw with emotion.

"Why is it you only agree to do bad things with me when there's something in it for you?" Natsuki whined, making sure to pout with the hope that it would change her lover's mind.

"Perhaps Natsuki would like to try to make it worth my wile to get me to agree?" Shizuru proposed with a devilish smile on her face, starting to feel normal now because Natsuki was acting normal. The older Otome was internally grinning blissfully, knowing that she was not in any trouble with her beloved and Natsuki had not decided to call off the wedding after she confessed what she and Tomoe had done.

"I'll let you do any and everything you want to me tonight?" Natsuki doubted that even that would get it done. Other than that, she had very few bargaining chips, especially since Shizuru knew that she would cave to just about anything anyway.

"You're going to let me do that anyway since Natsuki secretly likes that I'm such a pervert," Shizuru remarked, still smiling up a storm.

"I'd offer my soul, but I'm pretty sure you ate that sometime ago," Natsuki quipped because of the demonic expression on her lover's face.

"Ara, ara, why would Natsuki say such a thing? I merely keep her soul in a locked box with her heart and spine," Shizuru joked.

That seemed to loosen Natsuki up; she laughed. Shizuru confidently led her lover back into the party, knowing Natsuki would survive a little while longer at the gathering. They hoped that things had died down since Tomoe had gone and they had been out for almost fifteen minutes. They thought that they would be able to slip back in unnoticed and go back to hanging out with Natsuki's brothers, Nadia, Haruka, and Yukino. They were quite wrong.

"Damn it, you'd think someone as big a Shuichi would be easy to spot," Natsuki growled to herself as she scanned the huge room for her big brother. What she saw put a frown on her face, her mother was coming toward her with a very determined look in her eye. Natsuki turned to Shizuru in a panic. "You want something to drink? Let's go get something to drink," she suggested as she tried to lead the tan-haired Otome away in a hurry.

"Ara, ara, I'm not really thirsty," Shizuru answered, wondering why her love was rushing her away from the area.

Natsuki glanced back to see her mother was still in pursuit. She cursed to herself and tried to pull Shizuru faster, which was not working because the taller woman was being resistant. Shizuru glanced back to see what Natsuki was looking for and she spotted Saeko. It did not take a genius to realize that Natsuki was trying to ditch her mother.

"Natsuki does realize that her mother is going to catch up to her sooner or later, right?" Shizuru asked curiously.

"Let it be later then. Let me know if you spot one of my brothers or something," Natsuki begged as she continued to try to avoid her mother. At least her brothers would help hide her.

Shizuru decided to just go along with Natsuki's desperate, but more than likely fruitless, escape plan. She had tormented her love enough by making her come back to the party, after all. She was a little amazed at how childish Natsuki was acting. Now, she knew that when no one was looking, Natsuki was very different from the professional principal persona that she showed the public, but what she was doing now was way beyond that. Shizuru was not sure what to make of it, even though after spending a few days at Natsuki's home, she could see why Natsuki was acting like a ten-year-old.

Natsuki glanced back a few times to see if her mother was still hot on her trail. She was happy to see that a noble that accidentally played blocker for her by starting up a conversation with Saeko. Natsuki grinned.

"Score one for me," the raven-haired woman gloated.

"And how many points does your mother have in this little game?" Shizuru teased.

"Can I just have my moment, please?" Natsuki requested with feigned annoyance.

"If Natsuki goes back to introducing me to all of these people, then yes, she can have her moment," Shizuru replied.

Natsuki grinned again; apparently, she did not have a problem with that. She quickly and easily eased back into introducing people to her fiancée. Shizuru made sure to flash the ring to any and everyone, which made Natsuki's heart swell with pride. She was happy to know that she had done something right, something that seemed beyond right considering the way Shizuru was acting. The raven-haired Otome relaxed while watching her beloved proudly display her engagement ring to everyone that happened to glance at her.

"Natsuki-chan," Saeko hummed as she came up behind her daughter, creeping up on Natsuki like a ghost.

Natsuki almost cursed out loud, but instead, bit her tongue as she turned around to face her mother. Natsuki tried her best not to grimace as if she was facing a scary ghoul when her gaze fell onto her mother. Saeko was smiling much too happily for Natsuki's liking. The principal gritted her teeth and did her best not to frown as she noticed a noble that she was vaguely familiar with.

"Natsuki, I'm sure you remember Kiyone, Duchess of Norland," Saeko said with a brilliant smile while motioning to the dark-haired woman to her right.

"Oh, of course," Natsuki answered. She remembered that the woman's bastard son used to terrorize her by insisting that she was a girl after her brothers had thoroughly convinced her otherwise. She had been about six at the time and had completely believed her brothers, happy to think that she was just their baby brother. This woman's son did not want to let her have that moment of innocent bliss, though. Maybe that was why it did not occur to her to shake the woman's hand or acknowledge her in some small way.

"Your mother tells me that you're still single, hime. I found it quite hard to believe, but it was nice to know. You know, Eiji always had a crush on you…" Kiyone said.

Natsuki did not like the direction the conversation seemed to be going. She quickly grabbed Shizuru, rudely snatching the taller woman away from a conversation and another chance to show off her engagement ring. Natsuki made sure to press Shizuru against her and wrap a possessive arm around the Third Column's waist.

"Duchess, please, have you had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of my _fiancée_, Shizuru Viola?" Natsuki inquired while holding Shizuru's hand out for the woman to see the expensive ring weighing down Shizuru's left hand.

"Fiancée?" Kiyone echoed as a confused look washed over her tanned face. She turned her attention to the Queen with the hope that she would explain.

"The two are playing a little game. Please, bring Eiji over tomorrow. Natsuki-chan would love to have lunch with him," Saeko said.

"The hell I will!" Natsuki objected with fire in her eyes now. There was no way in hell that she was going anywhere near that bastard!

"She will," Saeko promised the Duchess before leading the woman off, so that they would not hear anymore of Natsuki's protests.

"The nerve of that damned woman!" Natsuki snarled in a low voice. Forcing her on a date, and in front of Shizuru no less!

"Calm down, dearest Natsuki," Shizuru whispered in a soothing tone into her lover's ear.

"You're not bothered by this? She's making me go on a fucking lunch date, after all," the principal pointed out in a huff.

"I suppose she is, but I am confident that my Natsuki will think of me the whole time and will return to my side when she is done. Besides, this Eiji gentleman is not an old boyfriend or something, is he?" the taller woman inquired curiously.

"Hell, no! He's not a gentleman either. He's one of the biggest dicks I have ever had the displeasure of hanging around when I was younger. He used to get a kick out of telling me I couldn't do something because I was a girl. I used to then get a kick out of kicking his scrawny ass. Before I left for Garderobe and I was the only one here, the little rat had the nerve to try to kiss me! He knew if he tried something while my brothers around they would've killed him, resurrected him, and killed him again, but he waited until it was just me!" Natsuki rambled.

Shizuru stopped a frown that wished to mar her face. "I imagine that Natsuki taught him not to make such an attempt again."

"Of course! I beat the living shit out of the little snot! But, the fact remains, I don't like the little weasel and I don't want to have lunch with him. I don't want my mother trying to set up dates for me either. I'm an engaged woman, after all," Natsuki declared with a smile.

"I know. Come on, let's go do something to get Natsuki's mind off of her dilemma," the crimson-eyed female suggested.

Natsuki could only wonder what that was as Shizuru grabbed her and led her away from where they were. Shizuru managed to track down Yukino and Haruka, and only then Natsuki sort of figured out what Shizuru was suggesting. Natsuki should do what she was comfortable with, which was to try to extend diplomatic relations between countries. She would introduce Yukino and Hakura to her parents…even though she was very much against sharing the same planet as her mother right now, let along talking to the infuriating woman.

With Yukino and Haruka by their sides, Natsuki started looking for her parents; it was a change from what she was used to doing: ducking and avoiding her parents. Still, it would make her feel better if she was able to help Yukino build an international relationship with Saxas. She just hoped that Haruka did not say anything to ruin things.

"Oh, there's my father," Natsuki noted, spotting the King speaking with several other gentlemen.

Yukino was going to say something about the King appearing busy, but apparently that was of no consequence to Natsuki. The raven-haired Otome cut through the crowd like a shark in the water. Everyone just followed behind her.

"Excuse me, I do apologize for breaking into the conversation like this, but I was hoping that you'd have time to meet with my good friend, the President of Aries," Natsuki said to her father.

Ryo blinked in surprise; who the hell was this polite young woman in front of him and what the hell had she done with his brash, rude daughter? Natsuki was able to keep in laughter as she could guess the thought going through her father's head; she was very accurate in her guess too. She was glad to have caught him by such surprise because in his stunned state, he turned to Yukino and was very polite to her, even though he did not think too highly of democracy or women in total leadership roles.

"Try not to talk too much," Natsuki whispered to Haruka as she watched her father and Yukino ease into a conversation.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Haruka huffed.

"Just let Yukino handle this and do yourself a favor by acting like her Otome. Be professional, seen and not heard. I'm not saying this to be an ass. I'm saying this because my father is an ass," Natsuki explained. She and Haruka had been getting along well for the night and she did not want to be the one that spoiled the only amicable night they had had in each other's presence.

Haruka was about to object, but she realized that Natsuki was looking out for Aries' best interest, so she just nodded. She stood back, letting Yukino do all of the talking. Natsuki and Shizuru remained around for a little while, but walked off after Natsuki was certain her father was not going to dismiss Yukino.

"Natsuki is similar to her father," Shizuru noted as she and her lover wandered the ballroom again.

Natsuki frowned deeply. "What makes you say that?"

"Ara, ara. I don't mean it to be insulting. It's just that I have used that very same tactic on Natsuki with similar results. I get the feeling that blindsiding the Krugers is the best way to go when it comes to a subject that they otherwise would not give the time of day," Shizuru commented.

Natsuki just frowned deeper in return, but it was a forced expression. Shizuru did not seem to mind and wrapped her arms around one of Natsuki's while begging the princess to introduce her to more people. Natsuki grumbled, but did just that.

"You just want to show that damned ring off," Natsuki accused her beloved.

"Ara, ara, why shouldn't I? It's a beautiful piece, like the woman that gave it to me, like the woman that wants to marry me," Shizuru replied in a low, almost purring tone. A blush shot up through Natsuki's neck to her hairline. Shizuru could not help smiling.

"Shizuru!" Natsuki growled.

Shizuru only laughed. The couple circulated some more, but as time passed, Shizuru could tell that Natsuki had reached her limit. She was not interested in seriously torturing Natsuki, so she was willing to concede that they leave. She just wanted to find Yukino and Haruka first to find out how long they would be in town. Natsuki spotted the pair almost immediately; as soon as she found out that she was free to go after Shizuru got to speak to them, her radar practically went off.

"Madam President, Haruka," Shizuru said as she and her lover walked over to the pair. Yukino actually blushed from hearing the term "Madam President."

"Shizuru-san, I thought we were good enough friends to be passed such a formality," Yukino commented in a low voice.

"You are, but Shizuru likes making people blush," Natsuki remarked to ease Yukino's discomfort. She did cut her tan-haired girlfriend a glare for a reason that Yukino could not figure out, but Shizuru knew why in an instant.

"No need to be jealous, my Natsuki. Your blushes are much more precious to me than anyone else's," Shizuru said with a smile.

Natsuki groaned. "Can we just go?" she begged.

"In a moment, Natsuki," Shizuru replied and she turned her attention back to Yukino. "She's such a child," the Third Column remarked, earning another glare from her lover. The president giggled.

"You should let Natsuki go," Yukino said in sympathy for the annoyed princess.

"I will. I was just wondering how long you and Haruka would be here. I would like for us to get together sometime before you leave. Natsuki can show us all around," Shizuru suggested.

"That sounds wonderful," Yukino concurred. "We are planning to stay for a couple of days."

"All right. I'll get in contact with you two later on," Shizuru said. "Now, I have to get Natsuki out of here."

Natsuki was so thankful when Shizuru took her by the hand and started for the exit. They had to move quickly because Natsuki knew that if one of her parents saw her departure, they would stop her and she would also get scolded later on. She breathed a sigh of relief when they hit the hall.

"That was exhausting," the younger woman confessed as they started toward her bedroom.

"I enjoyed it. I was happy that Natsuki was so eager to introduce me as her fiancée," Shizuru commented with a bright, sincere smile. It was so good to know that Natsuki was not ashamed of her or scared to flaunt their relationship.

Natsuki smiled too because she could tell that her lover was being genuine. She put her arm around Shizuru's waist and pulled her closer. Shizuru's smile grew and she leaned into Natsuki's powerful body.

"So, was it that bad?" Shizuru asked.

"Once again, it wasn't what I expected, even after my parents' reaction. I'm glad Yukino and Haruka were there. I mean, at least somebody believed that we were getting married! Sure, Haruka couldn't believe I had actually proposed, but at least they knew we weren't joking or playing a game. Everybody else sort looked at us like we were nuts. And, of course, there's my play-date tomorrow thanks to Mom not believing we're engaged." Natsuki sighed loudly and shook her head.

"It's just lunch, Natsuki. Have lunch with him, try not to kill him, and then return to me," Shizuru requested that end part in a low voice.

"Always," the raven-haired Otome promised and she leaned in to kiss Shizuru on the cheek.

Shizuru smiled, lighting up the whole hallway. Natsuki knew from those words, though, that her love was not as comfortable with Natsuki going on a date, even if it was forced, and even if it was with a man that she did not like. The principal sighed and ran her free hand through her hair.

"What is Natsuki thinking?" the taller woman inquired.

"Just that I'm sorry I make you worry about silly things. I know you're bothered by this, even if you're trying to act like you're not and I know it's my fault. You wouldn't have to worry about me going out with this jackass if I hadn't dated another jackass for a few months," Natsuki answered.

"Don't worry about it, Natsuki. It was a mistake and I'm not going to hold it against you. I know you don't want to be out with this man, so I won't hold that against you either. I just want to avoid your mother bothering you. I don't want you to end up angry and want to leave on a bad note. We do want your family to come to our wedding, after all," Shizuru pointed out.

Natsuki smiled; it would seem that hearing that Shizuru still wished to marry her lifted her spirits. The pair made it back to Natsuki's room and the princess made sure to shoo all of her maids away as quickly as possible. As soon as they were alone in the room, she expected Shizuru to pounce, but that did not happen.

"Would Natsuki like to join me for a bath?" Shizuru proposed. She wanted to take things slow for the night. It would help relax them both.

Natsuki grinned. "Do you even have to ask?"

Shizuru just let a knowing smile grace her features. She figured a slow night of passion would help Natsuki make it through tomorrow. It would also help reassure her that Natsuki was hers and no one would take her away, not Natsuki's parents, not this Eiji man, and certainly not the "man who would not be named."

-----(Next day)

Natsuki sat frowning while waiting for her lunch date to arrive. Eiji had the good manners, in her opinion anyway, to be late. She hoped that he had to cancel. She hoped that he drove his car into a tree actually, even though it meant that she would be forced to have lunch with her mother.

Yes, Saeko was sitting across from Natsuki. She was making sure that the princess did not run for it before Eiji showed up; it was not unheard of. In fact, Natsuki had bolted on a number of these sorts of things before she left for Garderobe. She had never been interested in dating, but especially hated when her mother tried to push her into it.

"You know, Eiji has grown into a fine young man. It's been so many years since you've seen him," Saeko commented, as if her daughter did not know how long it had been.

"Yeah," Natsuki grunted, folding her arms across her chest. She was wondering what Shizuru was doing. She knew that her lover was out with Yukino and Haruka, but she was not totally sure what they were doing. She would like to be with Shizuru, even if they were doing something boring, like clothes shopping.

"I'm certain you'll like him. He's not the boy you used to beat up on. He's actually managing a business now," Saeko informed the younger woman.

"If by managing, you mean running it into the ground, I know," Natsuki replied coolly. She did keep up with the affairs of her home nation and the other island countries around it. So, she knew about Eiji's "business savvy."

"Don't be so harsh on the poor fellow. Their country's economy isn't doing as well as ours," Saeko argued.

Natsuki rolled her eyes; the state of their neighboring country was not so bad as to explain why everything Eiji touched hemorrhaged money…or maybe he was the cause of the economic problems, she thought with a smile. But, what Eiji did was neither here nor there. There was the fact that her mother had set her up for a date right in front of her lover's face; adding insult to injury, it was with a man that she thoroughly detested.

"Mom, why are you doing this? I told you, I'm with Shizuru," Natsuki stated plainly, hoping that her no-nonsense tone got through to her mother this time around.

Saeko forced out a laugh; it was clearly forced too. Natsuki arched an eyebrow, wondering what that uncomfortable noise was for. Not even a day ago had she said that, her mother would have giggled and treated her like a pretending child.

"You don't have to keep playing this game, Natsuki. It doesn't make any sense, after all. You know what you want us to believe is impossible," Saeko stated.

Natsuki smirked, having a feeling that she had the upper hand. "Is that what you want me to believe or what you want to believe?"

The Queen was saved from answering as Eiji's arrival was announced. The mother and daughter turned to see Eiji standing near the entrance of the garden that they were sitting in. He was tall and distinguished with short blonde hair that was combed back. A pair of spectacles with thin frames covered his sapphire blue eyes and a tanned colored suit that he wore fit him like he was poured into it. He had a charming smirk on his creamy face as his eyes fell on the mother and daughter.

"Isn't he handsome?" Saeko whispered to her daughter.

Natsuki rolled her eyes. "He looks just like the horse's ass I remember," she replied plainly.

"Natsuki-chan," Saeko hissed her admonishment.

The principal did not give her mother the courtesy of looking ashamed of herself. She was saved from further reprimands as Eiji stepped over to them. He bowed like the perfect gentleman Natsuki was certain that he was not. He then took the Queen's hand and kissed her ring. He reached for Natsuki's hand afterward and she shoved them in her pockets. He only smiled.

"Still as standoffish as I recall, hime," Eiji commented in a smooth purr.

"You really don't want to find out how little I've changed in regards to you," Natsuki countered.

"Natsuki-chan, be nice and enjoy your lunch. I'll leave you two to get reacquainted," Saeko said with a smile in Eiji's direction while glaring at her daughter, silently warning Natsuki to play nice or she would suffer the consequences.

Natsuki scowled as her mother rose to leave. It was one of the rare times that Natsuki was upset to see her mother go. At least if Saeko had stuck around, she would have been able to absorb some of Eiji's attention; Natsuki had no doubt that he would have enjoyed sucking up to the Queen. Now, she had to handle him focused completely on her. She considered that she might hit him just for old times' sake and to get out of the "date."

Eiji took Saeko's seat after biding her farewell. He pulled the chair a little closer to Natsuki, which made her scowl more; it did not help matters that the chair was barely six inches from her to begin with since her mother found it necessary to invade her personal space as much as possible. She had to bite back a growl as Eiji openly checked her out.

"If Shizuru saw this, she would have cut his head off by now," Natsuki thought and then she entertained herself for a moment by letting visions of a chibi-Shizuru decapitating Eiji run through her mind.

"You look as lovely as I expected," he commented smoothly and his hand went to her knee.

The Otome did growl that time and she grabbed his hand, twisted his wrist, and glared the infamous Kruger death-glare at him. He cried out and whimpered from the pain. She did not let go.

"Look at me," Natsuki ordered and he obeyed as if he was one of her students. "I was not in favor of this meeting. I don't know what my mother has led you to believe, but I can guess. At no point in time during this lunch will you touch me again. I am not single, nor am I interested in men. So, keep your hands to yourself and enjoy the meal. You might actually live through it. Understood?"

Eiji nodded and she released his hand. He forced out a chuckle as he sat straight up, looking to avoid any and all physical contact with her. She continued to glare at him, as if she was trying to make him burst into flames.

"You're still the same little girl that used to throw me in the lake," he remarked, like he was telling a joke, but Natsuki did not laugh.

"You're still the same arrogant pain in the ass. You know I don't like you, so why did you agree to have lunch with me? You thought you could woo little naïve Natsuki who doesn't even know she's a girl?" she guessed.

"I would never!" He feigned indignation well, but she knew him. Not just the boy that he was, but the man that he had become.

"I know you quite well, Eiji-san. I might live halfway across the globe now, but I keep up with the affairs of my home country and those around it. I know you're desperate for money and you've been married three times already. Women whose fortunes you've squandered. My mother knows this too, so why she arranged for this lunch is either out of respect for the Duchess or just to torment me. I'm going to hope it's the first because that's the only reason I'm going to stay," Natsuki stated plainly.

It was as if her words went in one ear and out the other with him. He threw on a charming smile and began to try smooth talking her. Natsuki was bored with lunch to say the least; she spent a lot of work time listening to much more charming politicians and they did not move her in the slightest. He could not hold a candle to them.

--------------

Saeko watched Natsuki from one of the windows in the palace. She could see the bored expression on Natsuki's face. The body language was complete and total disinterest in everything about Eiji. Saeko frowned deeply.

"What's got that expression on your face, my dear?" Ryo inquired as he came up behind his wife. He looked at her and then out of the window, wanting to see what she was looking at.

"Your daughter…" Saeko answered.

"Appears to be having lunch with a young man. Excellent." Ryo could not help grinning. Their little girl was finally acting like an adult and hopefully she would meet a young man to marry. It would be nice to not have to worry about her being on her own anymore, he thought.

"Not excellent. He's purposely keeping his distance, even if he is trying to engage her in conversation. She doesn't seem interested in anything that he is saying and I swear she'll strangle him if he moves just a breath closer to her. She doesn't like him," Saeko stated.

Ryo chuckled a little. "Natsuki never really got along with any of the boys we had around here, unless the boys were friends with her brothers and let her tag along. Maybe we should contact some of those young men rather than bring people around her that she already hates."

Saeko nodded. "That does sound like a good idea. Perhaps we could host another party, but this one just for Natsuki instead of all of the children."

"I like the sound of that." Ryo enjoyed throwing parties and he was all for getting their little girl attached to a man before she ended up being an old spinster.

"Maybe even her friend Shizuru will find someone that she likes," Saeko added.

"It is a shame that those two are alone and Natsuki has gone into using Shizuu in such a way," Ryo commented.

Saeko nodded again, even though she was starting to have her doubts. She was going to watch Natsuki and Shizuru more closely from now on. She was going to make sure they both left Saxas with young men that desired and deserved them. There was no more playing around.

--------------

Next time: Shizuru joins Natsuki for lunch and Saeko starts to doubt that they're just playing a little game.


	12. Eye opener

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

12: Eye opener

"I still can't believe Natsuki proposed to you!" Haruka shouted, throwing her hands out in front of her. She, Shizuru, and Yukino were walking around the capital of Saxas, enjoying the scenic city of Kugan. They were just wandering since none of them had ever been to Saxas before and no one knew their way around the city. They had been unable to get guides because the Kruger siblings were all busy.

"That actually makes two of us," Shizuru remarked with a small smile. She had always figured that she would wait decades for Natsuki to propose—if she was lucky—because Natsuki had her macho, tough-Otome image to keep up, even to herself. She knew that it would not sit well with Natsuki if Shizuru had proposed because it would have been a blow to Natsuki's pride.

"You had to trick her somehow. No way Natsuki was blight enough to think of this herself," Haruka declared. Her eyes showed that she was convinced that Shizuru somehow had to trick Natsuki into asking for her hand. Things did not make sense otherwise.

"Bright," Yukino absently corrected her Otome. She seemed distracted and slightly sorrowful, even though she had hit it off with the King last night and had had a chance to set up another meeting with him. This put Aries a step closer to having some sort of international relationship with Saxas.

The two Otomes glanced at the President. They then exchanged glances. Haruka had the decency to look sheepish, so it was clear that she knew what was wrong. Shizuru looked around, spotting a reason to excuse herself.

"Oh, a bookstore. I should pick up some magazines for Natsuki," Shizuru said and she walked off before either of her companions could object.

The Third Column marched into the bookstore and scanned the area for some books that might interest her or some books for Natsuki. Before any books for her caught her eye, she spied some motorcycle magazines off to her left. She decided to glance through those while keeping an eye on her companions, who were standing a few feet away from the outside of her store.

Shizuru knew that her companions would be all right, despite the rough patch that they seemed to have hit at the moment. Eyeing them made her think of her own beloved, sitting back at the palace, having lunch with some young man that desired her. With that in mind, she wondered if they would be all right.

"Natsuki doesn't like this man and I know this, but some part of me still fears…" Shizuru muttered to herself.

Part of her still feared that she might somehow lose Natsuki to a man—if not the one that she was having lunch with, then some other man that her parents found. She knew that the chance was quite slim, but her heart did not seem to agree with the odds. Her heart was afraid that it was happening at that very moment, like it had happened before. Now, she knew it had not really happened that first time—she never lost Natsuki's love or her heart—but, she still feared. After all, fear was never rational and often won against logic.

"Can I help you?" a shop worker asked, taking Shizuru from her thoughts.

Shizuru snapped out of her dreaded daze and quickly put on a false, but bright smile for the teenager in front of her. "No, it's all right. I'm just picking up some reading for my fiancée," she replied.

The worker nodded, smiled, and then left Shizuru alone. The Otome glanced outside of Haruka and Yukino again. From what she could tell, Haruka was doing something right. The sorrow that had been following Yukino around all day was taken over by a small cheer and a small, but delighted smile had worked its way onto her face. She was standing taller suddenly and it was like the air around her cleared. Haruka seemed to be in her usual good cheer too, more so than before now that Yukino was taken care of.

The blonde was standing proud as always and grinning like the cat that got the cream. Shizuru chuckled a bit; maybe Haruka was growing up enough to know how to handle situations with more than just brute force. It was good to see; maybe they were all growing up, she considered.

"If we are all growing up, why am I worried about losing Natsuki to some random man?" Shizuru asked the air in a quiet tone.

She shook the question away, hoping to rid herself of all such thoughts. She grabbed a few magazines that she was certain Natsuki did not have and went to pay for them because she could see that Haruka and Yukino were ready to move on. She rejoined them with her usual smile, looking rather proud of herself as she held her recent purchases tightly.

"Ara, ara, thank you so much for waiting," Shizuru said, as if she had not excused herself for them to have a private moment.

"Next time don't take so long," Haruka huffed, folding her arms across her chest. She was trying very hard to look annoyed, but the smile on her face was not allowing it.

"I am so sorry. Please, forgive me," Shizuru apologized. She added in a bow to complete the charade.

"Please, let's continue on. This is such a beautiful place," Yukino commented, eyes scanning around for the next place to visit.

"Be sure to tell Natsuki. She takes great pride in her country," Shizuru informed them.

Yukino nodded; it did not surprise her that Natsuki would take pride in her country. She knew from her moments of speaking with the King that national pride was something common in Saxas. Speaking with Shuichi often confirmed that. On the surface, it did seem like quite the wonderful place, but Yukino knew that everything, nations especially, had their secrets and their shadows. She suspected those were the things that kept Natsuki and Shuichi from visiting home more often.

--------------

Natsuki sighed, wishing for lunch to be over already or for Shizuru to magically appear. She would take either one if it would save her from her lunch date. Eiji was pouring the charm on so thickly that the principal was fearful that they would drown in it shortly. She did not see why he was bothering since she had already made it extremely, painfully, crystal clear that she was not interested in him; she guessed he had erased that from his memory fairly quickly.

As Eiji smiled what he clearly considered his most seductive smile for what had to be the millionth time, Natsuki contemplated caving his forehead in with her spoon. As soon as she reached for the eating utensil, an announcement caught her ear. She could hear someone announcing Shizuru's return.

Natsuki turned to the entrance of the garden and grinned when the sight of her lover, standing there and looking like salvation, greeted her. She shot up from her chair and rushed to the doorway, surprising Eiji to the point where he stopped talking. Natsuki took Shizuru's hand in her own.

"I'm so glad you're back," Natsuki said while pulling the older Otome to her body for an urgent hug.

Shizuru breathed a sigh of relief as Natsuki held her. She felt so loved and appreciated. The emotions coursing through her now made her feel downright silly for what she had thought earlier. Natsuki was hers and she would not lose her most precious person to some random man, not now, not ever.

"Did you eat? Come on and have lunch," Natsuki insisted, pulling her love toward the meal before Shizuru could utter any words in reply.

"I think that I was missed," Shizuru joked, even though on the inside she felt elated because she truly did feel that.

Natsuki only grinned, looking sheepish, but happy. When they got to the lunch table, Natsuki did not bother with introducing Shizuru to Eiji. The raven-haired princess pulled out Shizuru's chair for her and motioned for her to sit. Once Shizuru was comfortably situated in her seat, Natsuki pushed her up to the table and then took her own seat, very close to the Third Column.

Shizuru turned her attention to the young man in their company for a moment, looking to gauge him. As soon as her eyes were focused on him, he poured on the charm. He smiled a small smile that made it seem like his teeth flashed and his eyes managed to glint with a cute, boyish quality. She could not help returning his smile with one of her own; a nice, false, polite smile that did not match with the I-will-eat-you-alive-if-you-touch-Natsuki, predatory gaze in her eyes.

"Natsuki-hime, surely you plan on introducing me to your friend," Eiji commented.

"Surely I didn't, but since it seems you're not taking the clue to go away, I might as well introduce you," Natsuki remarked quite seriously.

Eiji was not put off by the harsh words and continued smiling as Natsuki went through the painstaking motions of introducing her fiancée to Eiji. She went so far as to lead off his introduction with the words "the pain in my ass." Still, he smiled and got up from his seat in order to bow gracefully to the newcomer of the table.

Shizuru giggled as if she had air between her ears. "My Natsuki, you didn't tell me what an utter delight you were having lunch with."

Natsuki rolled her eyes, knowing that Shizuru was being beyond sarcastic. Eiji grinned, apparently taking the words to heart. He shifted his gaze between each woman as he sat down. They eyed him, but emerald eyes turned away in disinterest quite quickly. Shizuru's crimson eyes shined with mischief, though.

"So, Shizuru-san, how is it you know Natsuki-hime?" Eiji asked curiously since Natsuki had not included that in the introductions.

Shizuru glanced at Natsuki, who shrugged. Shizuru's smile brightened and she wasted no time putting her left hand up. She leaned forward, giving him a clear view of her engagement ring.

"I don't understand," Eiji admitted, laughing a little to lessen his own discomfort. It did not work thanks to the odd look that Shizuru was sporting.

"I am Natsuki's fiancée. She proposed to me about a week ago in a lovely oasis setting. Dare I go into detail?" Shizuru commented with a devilish look on her face.

"No!" Natsuki objected. Detail meant going into how Shizuru exhausted her and she was still a little too modest to allow people to know about their sex lives, even someone that she was sure would not believe it was possible.

Shizuru chuckled a bit. "Fine. He doesn't look like he grasps the situation anyway."

True enough, Eiji appeared to be utterly baffled. His forehead was wrinkled as his brows were drawn in, trying to understand what was being said to him. He then laughed, once again sounding quite uncomfortable.

"It's a joke. I see," Eiji finally commented.

"It's not a joke," Natsuki stated soundly. "I'm marrying Shizuru. Probably sometime in the summer when I don't have to worry about so many kids at school."

"Oh, what about the spring break? I think a spring wedding would be delightful," Shizuru chimed in, smiling at the thought of starting their new beginning when new life was being breathed into the area.

"Whatever you want," Natsuki replied with a shrug. She did not know it, but she lost a few romance points with her lover because she seemed indifferent to their wedding. Really, the when did not matter to her, as long as they got married.

Eiji continued to laugh. "Okay, good one."

"It's no joke. I told you when we first sat down that I'm not interested in men," Natsuki stated while taking Shizuru's hand in her own.

Shizuru smiled, even though she part of her worried that Natsuki might have been lying. She hoped that at some point in time, she could let go that Natsuki had dated a man for a little while when they were…less than together. She supposed that time would soothe away her concern as she built a life with her beloved.

"I've never heard such outrageous lies. You were just engaged to a man a couple of months ago," Eiji pointed out, having the nerve to sound smug, like they were naughty children and he caught them with their hands in the cookie jar.

"My father tried to force that engagement onto me. I was only interested in that man as a friend," Natsuki countered plainly. She wondered if that mistake was going to follow her around for the rest of her life. She glanced at Shizuru and sincerely hoped that it did not.

Eiji was starting to get visibly upset. His jaw was tense and his breathing had increased slightly; not a lot, but enough for the two Otomes to notice. Underneath the table, he made a fist and then unclenched the fist. His eyes were starting to burn with an underling fire.

"Are you trying to make a fool out of me, princess?" Eiji demanded to know. His arm itched to pound down on the table, but he held back because he knew that was a surefire way to get removed from Natsuki's presence.

"It's not so hard that I would have to try. I don't see why you're getting so angry. You never had a chance for me," Natsuki remarked. He was a special kind of stupid if he ever thought he did have a chance, she thought.

"More lies. Your mother invited me here because of your obvious interest!" Eiji said heatedly.

"You haven't been paying attention at all, have you? I'm not interested and I told you that at the beginning. I twisted your arm to make sure we were clear on that. Now, there's no reason for you to get so angry over a matter that doesn't concern you," Natsuki calmly informed him.

"It does concern me if you're sitting her trying to make a fool out of me, princess. Now, to tell such outrageous lies right to my face is uncalled for," Eiji declared. Natsuki was actually surprised by the size of his ego and how deep his delusions had to run.

"My Natsuki wouldn't waste her time lying to you," Shizuru pointed out, practically reading her beloved's mind with that statement.

"She isn't yours. What you two are suggesting is impossible! Women don't go out with other women!" Eiji huffed while slamming his fists down onto the table. He could not believe how they were sitting across from him with those straight faces and trying to make a total ass out of him. He just would not allow it.

--------------

Saeko continued watching Natsuki's lunch date from a window. She noticed how animated Eiji was getting and how enraged him seemed to be. He wisely did not make any moves toward Natsuki, but Saeko still disliked the disrespect that the boy was showing to her only daughter and the Princess of Saxas. After some yelling, Eiji stormed off, leaving Natsuki and Shizuru alone.

"All of that from Shizuru showing off that ring. She actually seems quite proud of it, like Natsuki truly proposed to her and she wants the world to know…much like I did when Ryo finally managed to propose to me. This is quite the troubling game," Saeko muttered to herself.

She was trying to hold onto the belief that Natsuki and Shizuru were just playing some sort of game to keep Natsuki from getting married. Unfortunately, the tighter she clung to it, the more that belief slipped away to something else. They reminded her so much of Shuichi and Nadia.

Although Shuichi and Nadia were not a perfect match, mostly due to her not having noble blood, it was clear that they were very dear to each other. Saeko would even go so far as to admit that her son loved his foreign wife; it was one of the few ways to explain why he put up with her and her low-born quality in the first place. The looks that they exchanged, the way that they understood each other, how they comforted each other with minor touches or mere glances; those things let people around them know that Shuichi and Nadia were quite in love. Those elements seemed to exist between Shizuru and Natsuki too.

"But that's just not possible. They're two women," Saeko tried to assure herself.

The Queen continued to try to convince herself that it was not possible for her daughter to be in a relationship with another woman and turned her attention back out of the window to see what Natsuki was doing now that Eiji had fled. Natsuki and Shizuru were still at the table, but now much closer than before. Shizuru handed Natsuki the bag that she held and Natsuki eagerly looked inside. Shizuru tried to suppress a smile tugging at her lip as Natsuki peered into the bag. The battle was lost when Natsuki's face lit up like a firecracker; Shizuru's own followed suit because of her happiness that came from seeing Natsuki was elated.

Natsuki put the bag down and wrapped Shizuru into a tight hug. Saeko could tell even from a distance that there was nothing "friendly" about the embrace. And then things went beyond that.

Saeko's eyes went wide with confusion and disbelief as she watched the two Otomes exchange a brief, but intimate kiss on the lips. The contact had been what most would consider a peck, but it lasted a few moments too long, and it was much deeper than any peck could be. It was like they took on pieces of each other's souls in those brief seconds.

"What was that? How could they…how could they…?" Saeko could not even choke out what they did. She rubbed her eyes, thinking that she might have imagined it…but then she asked herself, _who imagines her daughter kissing another girl? _

Saeko blinked hard and shook her head, trying to free her mind of the image of Natsuki's mouth being connected with Shizuru's. _This certainly was not done in Saxas_, she shouted in her mind. She could only wonder how serious the friends were now if they were able to go so far as to kiss each other when no one was in sight. It was not as if they had done that to prove some point in their game. No, they had done that when they thought that they were alone.

"What could this possibly mean?" Saeko asked herself. She still was not even totally clear on what she just saw.

Saeko was not sure what her next course of action should be. She was not sure what to do with such a situation, especially if it was true. She needed to calm down, she told herself. She took a few calming breaths, getting herself together, and now she could think a bit more clearly, come up with a new plan.

"First, I must know exactly how deep this 'relationship' goes. Perhaps they've just developed a weird friendship and find it all right to share such kisses," she tried to convince herself. Even right then, she knew that was a flimsy excuse. She just did not know how else to explain what she saw and she needed to do something to keep herself calm, which the lie did.

Saeko called for Natsuki's two most devoted servants, Ran and Suzume. Ever faithful and keen to serve, the girls almost killed each other to get to the Queens presence first. She was used to their antics, and even though the charm of their insanity had worn off long ago, she let them slide.

"You called for us, Your Highness?" the pair inquired while bowing as deeply as their backs would allow. They could almost touch their foreheads to their knees.

"I did indeed. I want to talk to you two," Saeko informed them.

"About ouji-sama?" they guessed. They did not see why the Queen would need them otherwise. Well, they hoped that she knew that they would never betray their ouji-sama!

"Yes, about Natsuki. I am concerned for her. It would seem that she is doing something dangerous and improper," Saeko said.

"Dangerous?" Ran echoed while Suzume was now intent to listen because of the words "concerned" and "dangerous."

"Yes, it would seem that Natsuki is carrying on with her friend in a troubling fashion. I don't wish to see my daughter hurt, but this could very well do her harm. You two wouldn't want Natsuki harmed, would you?" Saeko asked. She was not trying to manipulate them…much. She genuinely believed that Natsuki would be in danger because of the improper relationship she seemed to have with Shizuru.

"Of course we don't want ouji-sama harmed," Ran stated while Suzume just gave a powerful nod in agreement.

"Then I need you tell me about Natsuki's relationship with her friend Shizuru," Saeko stated. The two servants nodded.

"Well, Shizuru-san and ouji-sama talk a lot," Ran started and her counterpart chimed in before she could get any further.

"Shizuru-san really likes to tease ouji-sama! But, ouji-sama doesn't really mind. In fact, she blushes a lot," Suzume reported.

"Oh, she really _is_ Shuichi," Saeko muttered in a very low tone. The servants did not hear the comment and just continued on. They were both terribly excited and on a roll, like always when they got to talk about Natsuki.

"Oh, they cuddle up in bed!" Ran added.

"Shizuru-san even rubbed ouji-sama's back to make sure that she stayed asleep when we came into the clean the room," Suzume said.

"Wait, wait, wait...they cuddle in bed?" Saeko inquired. She cursed her mind for coming up with a mental image for that. She shook it away and tried to focus on the matter at hand. It was sounding more and more like Natsuki was seriously in a relationship with Shizuru, which was just bizarre.

"Yeah!" the two girls answered, almost as if it was obvious. They had gotten quite used to watching Shizuru with their ouji-sama, even if the couple had only been in sight for the past few days.

"You two don't seem to find it odd," Saeko commented. She wondered if the innocent infatuation many of the younger servants had with Natsuki was more inclined to how many of the female servants looked at the princes rather than the innocent feelings that she and the King had assumed.

"Well, they've been doing it since they got here," Ran pointed out. They did not have a chance to find it weird since as far as they knew Natsuki and Shizuru always did such a thing.

"Yeah, they're really close friends," Suzume added.

"I can tell," Saeko concurred, although it was a bit sarcastic. From what she could tell, the servants were just as innocent and naïve as always, but her daughter seemed to be anything but the two.

"It's good that ouji-sama has a close friend," Ran declared with a smile. "Ouji-sama was always so lonely by herself, even when she was with her brothers. She's very happy now with Shizuru-san."

"So, we will do anything to make sure that nothing happens to hurt ouji-sama or Shizuru-san," Suzume stated.

"Why Shizuru-san too?" Saeko asked with a perplexed expression.

"Well, if something happened to Shizuru-san, ouji-sama would be hurt," Ran reasoned and Suzume nodded in agreement.

"Do you two really think they're that close?" the Queen inquired.

The pair nodded. "Very much so!"

"All right. I want you two to keep a watchful eye on Natsuki-chan and her guest. I want you to report to me what they do when they're alone. This way I'm aware of things just to make sure that Natsuki-chan or Shizuru-san won't be hurt because of their own actions," Saeko said.

The girls were quiet for a moment. While they were hyper and came off as a little air-headed, they were not so completely dense that they did not realize something was weird about what was going on. The Queen had never asked them to spy on Natsuki when she was with a guest. Requests similar to watching Natsuki had been made, but it was more to make sure that she was not doing something crazy that would end with her getting physically hurt. This order was just out of the ordinary.

"Highness, what is so wrong that ouji-sama could be hurt?" Ran bravely asked.

"I think that Natsuki-chan and Shizuru-san might be carrying on in ways that if someone found out, it would cause them a lot of trouble," Saeko answered.

"But, they haven't done anything too weird. Besides, ouji-sama does weird things all the time!" Suzume pointed out. One of the things that many of the servants loved about Natsuki was how unique and sometimes outright strange she could be.

"I understand that, but Natsuki might be involved in something beyond weird. I know you two think of Natsuki as similar to her brothers, but you have to remember that she is a lady. She is not male and she not really a prince. She is a princess. She needs to carry on like a princess or she could end up hurt because if outside sources found out about these things, there would be a big scandal. Would you like to see Natsuki dragged through a major scandal?" the Queen asked the servants, even though she knew the answer to that one.

Suzume and Ran shook their heads; they would hate for Natsuki to be dragged through some horrible scandal. Their ouji-sama did not deserve for the world to think that she was a bad person when they were certain she was anything but. Their ouji-sama was kind and funny…although that latter bit was more through her actions rather than an attempt at humor. They did not want any harm to come to her.

"If you don't want to see any scandal, you have to help me. I need to know what Natsuki and Shizuru do together. If it is behavior that crosses the line, I especially need to know in order to correct Natsuki's behavior," Saeko stated. "Understood?"

Silence reigned for a moment while the servants were perfectly still. Something inside of them rumbled in disagreement, urging them to decline as best they could. The rumble worked its way into their throats, as if it was going to take control of their mouths. They found their mouths opening simultaneously; it was common occurrence.

"Yes, ma'am," they both said while nodding. Their eyes went wide for a second, as if they were stunned by what they were hearing.

"Good. That's all." She dismissed them with a wave of her hand.

The duo exited the room and they looked at each other. Their eyes asked what did they just do and begged to know if they had just agreed to betray their ouji-sama. They were not sure what to do and they could tell that neither of them had answers.

"We're screwed…" Suzume muttered and Ran nodded in complete agreement.

--------------

Next time: Suzume and Ran go about reporting to Saeko about what Shizuru and Natsuki do behind closed doors.


	13. Bringing the news

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

13: Bringing the news

Shizuru let loose a small yawn as she awoke from a satisfying sleep. As soon as she was done yawning, a smile automatically curled onto her lips. Her eyes fell to the side, and were greeted by the familiar sight of her lover in a dead sleep. She glanced around the room, making sure there were no busybody maids nearby. With it just being them, Natsuki would be able to remain asleep…or at least Shizuru would be able to wake up her lover as she pleased.

Shizuru sat up on her elbow and used her free hand to trace the muscles of Natsuki's back. She lightly went over each cut of muscle, the shoulder blades, and even the length of Natsuki's spine until the wicked blanket blocked her trail. She pouted a bit, but did not move the cover.

Instead, she decided to busy herself in another fashion. She leaned down and started showering Natsuki's back in wet kisses. Natsuki moaned a little and wiggled from the attention. Suddenly, Natsuki turned over and threw her arm over Shizuru, pulling the tawny-haired woman to her.

"How about you try that here?" the drowsy woman suggested, pointing to her face. She did not bother with opening her eyes; she did not need to see Shizuru to know the expression on her lover's face.

The older woman smiled brightly, eyes shining with delight. "I would love to!"

She wasted no time coming in for several kisses around her lover's face. She then placed a long, deep, passionate kiss on Natsuki's mouth. The sleepy female wasted no time returning the kiss and opened her mouth to welcome Shizuru's eager tongue. Moans escaped and entered their mouths, making them feel connected as they shared the same breath. They both needed to catch their breath when the show of affection was done. The princess recovered first and decided to share something since it seemed to be such a good morning.

"You know, I was having such a great dream," the raven-haired woman said.

"About what?" Shizuru asked curiously while tracing invisible circles on her lover's shoulder.

"We were home and looking out the bay windows. We were just holding each other and being happily married."

Shizuru nodded and smiled softly. "That is a great dream. You know what would make it better?"

Natsuki pondered it for a moment. "Mayo?" she offered with a drowsy smile.

"No." Shizuru lightly swatted Natsuki's bare shoulder as punishment. The Second Column chuckled and feigned hurt for a second.

"Okay, okay, okay, what would make it better?" the principal inquired sincerely. Right now, being home seemed like the greatest thing ever in her opinion.

"The pitter-patter of tiny feet and a little version of us walking about," Shizuru said quite seriously.

The response got Natsuki's attention. Her eyes went wide and she rushed to sit, wanting to give Shizuru her undivided attention. Shizuru just watched as her lover moved and shifted.

"You want children?" Natsuki asked as if she was in complete and total shock. _Duh!_ Her mind kindly pointed out.

Shizuru smiled and nodded. "I thought that would have been obvious. We have talked about it a few times." Not enough for her taste, but they had time.

"I know. I just thought that children would come a little further down the line. I mean, kids means that one of us would seriously have to retire to give a kid the proper attention a child deserves. There's no way both of us could work like we do and have kids…not that you do any real work when you're at home," she remarked, trying to soften the mood just a little. Mornings were not made for such serious, life-altering discussions—at least, not before breakfast.

"I didn't mean right away, Natsuki. I would like children eventually," the older woman commented with a warm smile.

"Oh…well, okay. I guess I can deal with that…" the principal replied and she visibly relaxed. "I want children eventually too," she admitted.

Shizuru smiled; of course, she knew that her lover wanted children eventually. She curled up close to Natsuki. They laid there for a while and then suddenly Natsuki went rigid. She looked up, peering around the room as if she was totally confused by something.

"What?" Shizuru asked with concern.

"My maids are usually in here by now, making a bunch of noise and trying to get me out of bed to make sure I don't miss breakfast. My parents get really pissed if one of us miss breakfast," Natsuki explained.

"Ara, ara, then I suppose we should get up," the Third Column suggested.

Natsuki snorted. "I don't want to move from this spot any time soon. Besides, we can always order in."

Shizuru could not help giggling at that. She then leaned forward and took Natsuki's lips with her own. Natsuki responded and threw her arms around Shizuru. Shizuru broke the kiss because she started laughing as Natsuki rolled them around in the bed.

"You're laughing at me?" Natsuki asked as if she was offended. "I think I'll have to teach you a lesson!"

"Oh, is the principal going to punish me?" Shizuru inquired with a mischievous glint in her eye.

Natsuki chuckled evilly and then she attacked. Shizuru squeaked when her lips were conquered and devoured by Natsuki's mouth. The squeak easily turned into a moan and she pulled Natsuki closer, wanting the principal's soft flesh infinitely closer. Natsuki smiled; she always enjoyed when Shizuru tried to merge them.

Their play was interrupted as they heard the door open. Natsuki's modesty got the better of her and she dived underneath the covers. It was Shizuru's turn to laugh as she looked past the lump in the bed that was her lover to see who was at the front door. Part of her hoped that it was one of Natsuki's parents and they were just caught in the act. She pouted when she saw it was just Natsuki's two most devoted maids.

"Good morning!" Shizuru grinned widely, as if that helped put them at ease with walking in on the couple. She knew that they did not mind as much as most other people in Saxas probably would have, but she doubted that they would be totally unaffected.

"'Morning, Shizuru-san. 'Morning, ouji-sama," Suzume and Ran muttered in dead tones while staring at the floor. They had not even noticed what they walked in on; they were too wrapped up in their own thoughts.

"Good morning," Natsuki answered as she sat up properly. She made sure to cover herself with the blanket as she turned her full attention to the duo. She noticed that they did not look like their usual cheerful, eager-to-please selves. "Is there something wrong?" the princess asked with concern.

"Ouji-sama, we think we did something bad…" Suzume mumbled, keeping her eyes on the floor and moving around an imaginary rock with her foot.

"Something bad? You guys didn't test out another ATV and total it, did you?" Natsuki inquired, eyebrow arched from worry. She recalled during one visit when the pair was trying to impress her by showing her what they could do on an ATV. They ended crashing into a tree. The ATV was wrecked, but she was very thankful that her two most faithful servants were alive and well…still crazy too.

"Yesterday…the Queen…she wanted to talk to us…" Ran started to explain. She paused to sniffle, but held in any tears that wished to escape.

"And it's not like we could say no to the Queen, ouji-sama…" Suzume chimed in, throwing her arms out in front of her to emphasis the point.

"And, you know how we can get a little ahead of ourselves anyway!" Ran stated in a panic. She looked like she was on the verge of tears, eyes wide and quivering. She feared that their ouji-sama might hate them now!

Natsuki took in their words and remained calm despite their excited states. "I know how you two are. I also know how my mother is. She probably said you guys would be helping me and you two agreed before she even told you what she wanted you to do," she reasoned.

"It's like you were in the room!" Suzume remarked quite seriously. Her eyes were wide with shock that the princess could guess things so accurately.

"We're all fairly predictable. What did she ask you two to do?" the raven-haired royal inquired curiously.

"She wants us to watch you and Shizuri-san, make sure you don't do anything improper. She didn't really explain what she meant by improper, though," Ran answered, putting a finger to her chin. She wondered what Natsuki could possibly do that was improper with her fiancée. "We're not too sure what she means by that."

Natsuki nodded. "She wants you guys to see how serious my relationship is with Shizuru. She's starting to believe." She could not help smiling.

"Ara, ara, it doesn't seem like she's taking her belief well, though," Shizuru pointed out, motioning to the maids.

"We've got to start somewhere," Natsuki stated with a shrug and then she turned her attention back to her two servants. Her face scrunched up. "You guys are serious that you haven't seen Shizuru and I do anything improper?" she asked in disbelief. Her maids were denser than she was, she thought. Shizuru silently agreed.

"Not really. You're engaged, after all," Ran answered as if it was obvious. Now, of course, it was obvious to Shizuru and Natsuki, but they did not expect it to be obvious to anyone from Saxas, especially someone that had never left the island.

"You two don't think it's weird that I'm engaged to a woman?" Natsuki asked with a puzzled expression on her face. She wondered if her maids actually thought of her as male now. She hoped that was not the case because not only would that be odd, but she did not like the idea of someone seriously thinking that she was male. It was fine for fun, but she would not stand for it if they were serious.

The duo shrugged. "We don't really understand the relationship. After all, we do know that ouji-sama is female…I guess anyway. Shizuru-san just makes sense with you, ouji-sama," Suzume tried to explain. She doubted that she would ever be able to put it into words, but she and her fellow maids believed that whatever their ouji-sama had with Shizuru was good for Natsuki and that was enough for them.

"It's easier to imagine you engaged to a woman than to a man," Ran tried to help. They both scrunched up their faces, thinking that they were not doing good jobs in explaining themselves. But, then again, they were not totally sure why they did not think it was weird. It just seemed right to them and they were not going to question it.

"Okay," Natsuki accepted that because she could tell from their puzzled expressions that it was the best that they could do.

"What should we do, ouji-sama?" Suzume asked. Her eyes pled with a solution to their problem.

"We don't want to betray you," Ran informed her.

"I know you don't. I actually don't mind you telling my mother whatever she wants to know about my relationship with Shizuru. I want her to believe that I am engaged to Shizuru because I am engaged to Shizuru," Natsuki told them while wrapping a loving arm around her lover's shoulders.

Ran and Suzume looked like they could be knocked over with feathers. _Is it really that easy?_ They had panicked for nothing? They noted that Natsuki was not even upset with them for agreeing to work for her mother, no matter what the assignment was. They could not believe that they were so lucky.

"Ouji-sama," they both said in teary voices.

"Oh no," Natsui groaned, knowing what was coming when the duo got all emotional with her.

"You're the best, ouji-sama!" they shouted with tears cascading down their faces. They rushed the bed, ready to give Natsuki hugs that she really did not want.

"Excuse me," Shizuru's voice cut into the moment and it did sound like it had the power of a blade. "But, I do hope you are not about to hug my very naked Natsuki," she said and there was something under her tone that made the pair stop in their tracks. They looked into her eyes and knew that they had made the right decisions about halting.

"Shizuru," Natsuki scolded her lover for purposely frightening her servants. She was happy to get out of the hug, though.

"What? I didn't do anything," Shizuru replied with an innocent smile. Natsuki rolled her eyes and then turned her attention back to her servants.

"So, are we in trouble?" Ran inquired, just to be sure.

"You two aren't in trouble. Tell my mother everything she wants to know, no matter what she asks. If she wants to know if I'm sleeping with Shizuru, go ahead and tell her what you know. Please, don't sugar-coat anything. I want my mother to know the whole story," Natsuki stated soundly.

The duo nodded. They were not sure why the Queen thought that Natsuki was lying, but they would straighten that out, just like the princess wanted. They would also show the Queen that Natsuki as not doing anything improper with her fiancée. They figured it might help get Natsuki out of some trouble.

"Now, why don't you two make yourselves useful and get lost for about an hour? After that, show back up with some breakfast," Natsuki ordered.

"Yes, ouji-sama!" the pair concurred and they quickly made themselves scarce.

"Let me guess, we have exactly one hour to the second before they return with breakfast?" Shizuru asked.

"See, you are learning!" Natsuki teased.

"An hour is hardly enough time to get enough of my Natsuki," Shizuru complained.

"You better make the most of it," Natsuki remarked with a grin that was quickly wiped off of her face as Shizuru pounced on her. The principal should have known better than to start something with her lover.

--------------

Suzume and Ran did not get much time to themselves after they left the princess' bedroom. They were approached by another servant, who explained that they were wanted by the Queen. They could guess why and silently followed behind the older servant that fetched them.

Suzume and Ran glanced at each other as they walked behind the male servant. He faced forward, never turning around, seemingly not paying them any mind, but they knew better. He was waiting for them to say something on the way, but they did not open their mouths. All communication was done through looks. The looks were just the same as saying nothing, though; their eyes continued saying, "I have no fucking clue what to tell the Queen!"

They were able to keep their panicking internally, but they remembered that Natsuki did not mind. They could tell the Queen whatever she wanted to know and they would not be betraying their "ouji-sama." They were able to smile as that thought crossed both of them minds.

"Wait here," the male servant ordered the pair as they came to the door of a recreation room that the King and Queen spent alone time in.

They were not given a chance to answer as the man entered the office and shut them out. They rolled their eyes while he scanned the office space for the Queen. Saeko was in the room by herself, reading a book while reclining on a long sofa on the back wall. He went to her and bowed.

"I have the two you requested, Highness," he informed her.

"How did they behave on the way over here?" Saeko inquired, eyes not leaving her book.

"There was some nervous movement at first. They exchanged a number of glances, but said nothing," he reported.

"They do no need to say anything when they exchange glances. They can practically read each other's minds. They might actually share the same brain," the Queen remarked. It was not farfetched considering how the two acted. She wondered what lies they had managed to concoct on the way over. It was a good thing that they did not lie very well.

"Indeed," he concurred. Everyone knew it was a miracle for those two to separate more than ten feet and have no one hear a snap from their invisible link shattering.

"Bring them in," Saeko ordered.

The servant nodded and exited the room again. When the door opened again, the two young ladies stepped in. They bowed upon entering the room, even before they spotted the Queen. Saeko rolled her eyes; they were nervous apparently. She had a feeling that was a bad sign.

"You two are bowing to the desk," Saeko informed them in a clipped tone.

The pair yelped and looked up to see that they were bent in front of an empty desk. They thought that the Queen would be sitting there. They quickly scanned the area and spotted the Queen on the sofa. They quickly bowed again, in the right direction that time.

"Cut out the comedy act. Tell me why my daughter was not at breakfast today," Saeko demanded, glaring at the pair. She was somewhat hostile because Natsuki missed breakfast and she had a feeling there was more to it than Natsuki just wanting more sleep.

The two servants were silent for a moment. They thought on that, but really all they had were possibilities rather than solid answers that they knew the Queen wanted. She narrowed her glaze to them, letting them know that she was out of patience.

"We think that ouji-sama overslept," Ran offered. It was the most logical reason that they could give since it was well known that Natsuki could, would, had overslept many times before, all the way through morning sometimes.

"Why didn't you wake her?" the Queen asked patiently. Time had proven that if those two were given enough rope, they would hang themselves, so she would string them along.

"Shizuru-san doesn't like us coming in early and disturbing ouji-sama," Suzume explained.

"Well, this is not Shizuru-san's home. She will not dictate how we do things here. Natsuki is not allowed to oversleep anymore. You will have her out of bed on time and down to breakfast on time," Saeko ordered.

The pair was quiet for a moment and shifted from foot to foot. Saeko glared at them because of their anxious behavior. They were itching to disobey her, apparently.

"Shizuru-san…can be pretty scary…" Ran muttered. Suzume nodded in agreement with that appraisal. In fact, she had scared the hell out of them that morning. They doubted that they would ever hug their "ouji-sama" again thanks to the look in those crimson eyes.

"Scary enough to disobey your Queen?" Saeko challenged, arching an eyebrow in curiosity.

"It's not that, Highness. You know we have no problem with getting ouji-sama out of bed on time…" Suzume tried to explain. Well, they had no problem doing it before Shizuru showed up anyway.

"It just seems…weird when she has her fiancée in the room with her. They could be…doing things…" Ran finished the thought. They both shifted uncomfortably, thinking about walking in on the couple a few times already. Sure, they had not seen anything more than kissing and, of course, Shizuru naked, but that was more than enough.

"Are you two really this stupid? Natsuki is a woman and Shizuru is a woman. It is impossible for them to be 'doing' anything in there!" Saeko yelled in anger. A vein began poking out of her neck.

"But…Highness…they're engaged," Suzume pointed out.

"How is it possible for two women to be engaged?" Saeko asked, trying to corner them with logic. The two servants shrugged.

"We're not sure how it works, but they are engaged. They kiss, like all couples do. They sleep naked, implying they do something when the lights go out," Ran reasoned.

"Sleep naked…?" Saeko's face twisted into a mask of confusion.

The Queen's eyebrow twitched and she stared off into nothing at all. For a moment the pair thought that her brain had short-circuited. They were fully prepared to run screaming from the room, but she snapped out of it just in time.

"What do you mean that they sleep naked?" Saeko asked with an eerie calm. What had her daughter gotten into? What kinds of lives were Otome allowed to lead?

"They sleep in the nude together. They share ouji-sama's bed. Whenever we go in there and they are still in the bed, Shizuru-san makes sure to hide ouji-sama's body from view. So far, she had forgotten to cover herself a few times. It's clear that they are naked," Suzume explained.

"How can this be…?" Saeko muttered while shaking her head in confusion. Her wide eyes stared into nothingness while being directed to the floor.

"They're engaged," the two servants said again. For them, that explained everything. They simply expected Natsuki and Shizuru to do whatever an engaged couple did, which included have sex. Sure, they were not sure how it worked, but they figured that Natsuki and Shizuru had to figure it out if their relationship made it to the point of engagement.

"Two women cannot be engaged!" Saeko screamed, causing the pair to leap back and yelp.

The servants were not sure how to respond to that. They were in agreement with their Queen based on what they knew from Saxas, but seeing Natsuki and Shizuru together led them to believe that it was possible for two women to be engaged. Once again, they did not understand it, but it was possible. They were never people to discount something just because they did not understand; they did not understand a lot of things, after all.

"Sorry we upset you, Highness," Ran apologized while they both bowed deeply to show they were sincere.

Saeko waved the apology off. "It's not your fault. You're only reporting on what you've seen. Have they shown any other abnormal behavior?" she inquired.

The two were quiet. Nothing seemed "abnormal" to them, so they were not sure how to respond to that question. They always just chalked things up to "ouji-sama is weird" and that covered everything that Natsuki ever did. So, nothing was really abnormal when it came to Natsuki. Now, when Natsuki started behaving like a normal, young lady, they would have something to report because that would definitely be "abnormal."

"You said they kiss like couples do. How do you know?" the Queen asked. She suspected they were kisses like the ones she witnessed her daughter and Shizuru share in the garden.

"We've seen them," Suzume answered as if it was obvious.

"You've seen them kissing as if they were a couple?" The Queen tilted a bit, but recovered quickly. Her head felt like it was swimming. What in the world was her daughter doing? How was it possible?

"Yeah," Ran confirmed while Suzume nodded. Saeko did not look like she believed them.

"Uh…we don't make it a habit to knock when we go into ouji-sama's room," Suzume informed the Queen to explain how they would see such kisses. In the past, whenever they went in, Natsuki was always doing one of two things—sleeping or playing video games. She never seemed bothered that they did not knock and they never started since there did not seem to be a reason to do.

The Queen tried to process the information, but it was only making her head hurt. She dismissed the two by flicking her wrist and motioning toward the door with her left hand. They bowed and made their escape while they had the chance. Saeko did not even hear the door click as they shut it on their way out.

"Natsuki-chan, what could you possibly be doing?" Saeko wondered aloud.

The Queen then suddenly climbed to her feet and rushed out of the room. She ignored any and all looks for those she passed by as she moved with purpose in her step. She marched to the lower levels of the palace and to the completely opposite end of where she had been before.

A sweltering heat greeted her as she reached her destination. She weaved her way through a jungle of hanging fabrics like she was Tarzan. She stopped in front of a desk and was greeted by a smiling elderly servant, who rose to her feet to bow to the Queen.

"What can I do for you, your Highness?" the old woman inquired.

"I want to know about my daughter's bed sheets. Your group handles her laundry. How have her sheets been?" Saeko asked.

The elderly woman chuckled a bit. "Your daughter is much more active this visit than ever before. I have heard that she is engaged, so we were expecting such a thing."

"You have not heard that she claims to be engaged to a woman," Saeko spat. The scowl on her face could have cut diamonds. Somehow, Natsuki and Shizuru were managing to stain Natsuki's bed sheets. Apparently, they were engaging in some sort of sexual activity, which meant that it was more than a game.

"Engaged to a woman?" The elderly woman blinked in confusion for a moment, but then laughed. "I suppose she has taken her princely title too seriously. Do not take it too hard, Highness. She is happy, is she not?"

"She would be happier if she were with a man and doing things properly. She would not be able to give me grandchildren like this and she will never be able to have a family of her own," Saeko replied in a hard tone.

"That would be a sad thing, Highness. I am not one to judge since I don't know how the world is beyond this laundry room and my own home. Perhaps, you should explain this to the princess. Sometimes, our children need to know that we worry about them. If we just get angry at their decisions, it sometimes makes them upset. Often, they think that we are disappointed in them," the elderly woman informed the Queen.

Saeko did not respond. She was not sure if she was actually not disappointed in Natsuki. Her daughter had never done anything that she wanted her to do, never done the right thing. If she was not disappointed in Natsuki, then she was starting to think that she certainly was not proud of the girl, especially with her latest stunt.

Saeko walked away from the laundry before the servant was able to give her any more advice. She rubbed her forehead and tried to figure out how in the world her daughter had managed to get engaged to a woman. How in the world had her daughter gone so astray? So wrong?

"I can't let this happen," the Queen decided with grit and determination in her eyes. There was no way that she was going to allow her daughter to throw her whole life away for such a ridiculous thing.

Saeko could barely restrain herself from running through the palace. She needed to find her husband. She needed to start setting things right before their daughter ruined her whole life.

"Ryo," Saeko said as she rushed into his office.

Ryo's head went up from his desk so quickly that someone would have thought he snapped his vertebra. "Saeko? Are you all right?" he asked, ready to rise and rush to her side. He could clearly see by the redness in her face and the tension in her body that something was wrong.

"Our daughter is trying to ruin her life and start a scandal the likes of which we have never seen before!" the Queen reported.

"What do you mean?" Ryo inquired as his face scrunched up slightly from bewilderment.

"I mean, she is trying to ruin herself. She sleeps with her friend, seriously sleeping with her. This is something beyond a silly game they play. We need to have a gathering and it needs to be soon. Both of those girls, but especially Natsuki, need to have eligible suitors on their arms by the end of the night before this gets more out of control," Saeko replied in a frantic manner, speaking quickly.

Ryo was not following, but he could see that his wife was genuinely bothered and distressed. "I will send word today and have everything set up for tomorrow night. Our daughter will not leave the ball until she has a suitor and she is serious about marrying him," Ryo declared.

Saeko breathed a sigh of relief from that. She was going to go beyond that and make sure that Natsuki left Saxas engaged to man. She was not taking anymore of Natsuki's nonsense. She was not going to let Natsuki go around pretending to be like her brothers anymore, acting like she was a prince. It was time to grown up.

--------------

Next time: Saeko makes a real effort to come between Natsuki and Shizuru. She actually gets in Shizuru's head. Can Natsuki fix the damage her mother does?


	14. The art of war

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

14: The art of war

"I swear, those five are just overgrown children when they get together," Nadia commented as she and Shizuru watched the Kruger siblings charging off into the woods on their dirt bikes. They knew that the crew was going to come back hooping, hollering, and covered in mud. Still, they could not help smiling as they watched the siblings leave.

"It's cute," Shizuru remarked.

"Yes, it is," Nadia concurred with a smile that made her eyes sparkle behind her glasses. "I hope you bring Natsuki out here more often, so she can play with her brothers. They hate that she stays away for so long. They're only like this, like happy kids, when it's all of them together and they all love being together."

Shizuru nodded. "Sometimes, she has valid excuses when she puts off her visits. Running Garderobe is not an easy job and Natsuki takes her work very seriously…although it's hard to tell that she takes anything seriously watching her with her brothers."

"I tell you, they're like a bunch of ten-year-old boys when you get a few of them together," Nadia quipped with a good-natured smile.

"Yes, but now they leave us with a few hours with no one to fuss over," the Otome commented with an exaggerated sigh.

"Yes, this is true. But, we can take the time to get to know each other better. You can tell me stories of Natsuki at school and together we can make fun of her and Shuichi when they return."

"I like the way you think."

The pair went to a lounge set in the garden. They sat down at a circular table in a portion of the garden that allowed them a view of the forest. They stared into the woods for a moment, trying to catch glimpses of their lovers. The Kruger siblings were long gone, though.

Just as Nadia was about to ask all sorts of questions about Natsuki in school, the duo's time was interrupted. Saeko strolled over and made herself comfortable at the table. Nadia rolled her eyes while Shizuru put on her best smile. Something inside of the Otome still wanted Natsuki's parents to like her.

"Slumming it?" Nadia remarked, speaking to the Queen.

Saeko did not pay the snide comment any mind. "It's a lovely day. I suspect my roguish children decided to spend it playing in the mud. I don't know where they get such behavior. Their father certainly was never like that."

"The perfect gentleman?" Shizuru guessed, which got Nadia to roll her eyes a second time.

"He was. I know our sons can be the same. I've seen them, after all," Saeko commented.

"Natsuki too," Nadia chimed in, knowing that line would rub the monarch the wrong way. Shizuru could not help chuckling just a bit since she often teased Natsuki about being "the perfect gentleman."

Saeko frowned deeply and cut her daughter-in-law a tight glare. "Natsuki-chan just doesn't know any better. Don't you agree, Shizuru?"

"I agree that Natsuki is the perfect gentleman," Shizuru replied. She was well aware that her beloved did not mind being described in such terms, as long as they were said with affection behind them.

The frown on Saeko's face deepened and hardened her eyes. "I don't know what you and Natsuki think you're playing at, but it isn't going to work. Natsuki-chan is going to get married and have a family."

"Natsuki-chan and I are more than capable of getting married and having a family," the tawny-haired Otome pointed out. She had a feeling that she knew what the Queen was talking about, but she never played her whole hand until it was necessary.

"Shizuru-san, I have to wonder how your parents would feel if they could see you know," the Queen commented.

"My parents are quite pleased. When I called them to inform them about the engagement, my mother actually screamed with joy. This is a woman that doesn't usually show excitement, much like Natsuki-chan. My father teased poor Natsuki for over an hour about how it was about time that she made an honest woman out of me," Shizuru informed her lover's mother.

"How long have you and Natsuki…" Saeko could not even finish that sentence. She spoke through gritted teeth while her face seemed so tense that the younger women were waiting for her face to split open.

"Natsuki and I have been together for over ten years," Shizuru answered without a problem.

Seako frowned. Ten years…pretty much the entire time that Natsuki had been away from home. She had known back then that it would be a horrible idea to send Natsuki away to that foreign school, but Natsuki had bugged Ryo about going to a school like her brothers. Ryo bent as much as he could and sent Natsuki away to Garderobe, not knowing that it would change Natsuki's life forever. She had objected the whole time, trying her best to convince her husband that it would be better to send Natsuki to a private school right in Saxas.

"If I had to wait more than ten years for Shuichi to propose, I think I would have run him over with my car, more than once," Nadia remarked with a laugh.

"Well, you do have to remember that half of that we were teenagers and marriage really was not on our minds. Besides, Otome usually don't get married until we retire," Shizuru explained. She felt it necessary to defend her beloved.

"How many Otome marry each other?" Saeko chimed in, sounding quite bitter and snappy.

Shizuru smiled a bit. "I'm not sure on the stats, but I could call it in. I'm sure someone would be happy to dig up that information for you." It would seem she forgot that she wanted Natsuki's parents to like her.

"And you say that your parents are all right with this? They have no desire for grandchildren? They have no problem with you making a mockery of them?" Saeko demanded, barely opening her mouth to speak now. She was talking through her teeth now because she was unable to loosen her face enough to open her mouth.

"Not everywhere in the world thinks that it's a mockery to be in love and show it," Nadia remarked, earning a glare from the Queen.

"Is that what you call it when you marry above your station just for a young man's money and prestige?" Saeko snapped.

"You think I put up with Shuichi for money and prestige? I can only wonder why you married your husband," Nadia returned in quite the heated tone. Like hell she was going to sit there and let anyone, especially her husband's mother, make light of her relationship!

Saeko hit the table with her palm before pointing a menacing figure at Nadia. "Don't you dare take that tone with me. I can easily have you removed from this place."

"You think I care? I only came to see Natsuki and the boys. You throw me out and so goes Shuichi, and I'm willing to bet that his brothers aren't likely to stick around after that, no matter how much their proper wives whine. As for Natsuki, I will simply see her at her wedding, which there will be and I am willing to bet that she will be there waiting for Shizuru to walk down the aisle," Nadia hissed.

"Natsuki will marry a proper gentleman, just like her brothers married proper ladies. Shuichi merely made a miscalculation that I am sure he will correct soon enough," the Queen declared.

Shizuru only watched the two go back and forth. She wondered if she was going to suffer the same fate as Nadia. Maybe there was no hope of Natsuki's parents liking her. Nadia was disliked just because of rank, or lack there of. Shizuru was of a much lower ranking than the Krugers, but also a woman, so it would seem that she had more things working against her than Nadia did. Her usual charm was not a saving grace at the moment either.

"You need to face facts that Saxas is behind the rest of the world in more ways than one," Nadia stated, speaking to the Queen.

A snarl tugged at Saeko's lip. It was one thing to argue over Shuichi and Natsuki, but it was another thing to bring the country into it. Now, not only was Nadia trying to make it seem like the two Krugers had made the right decisions, but their parents were looking at it as wrong because the country was backwards. It was too much.

"I want you out of here, now," Saeko commanded.

Nadia rolled her eyes. "Tell my husband I will be waiting for him at the dock." She stood up and walked off as if she did not care that she had just been thrown out.

"Are you sure it is wise to chase off Shuichi and Nadia?" Shizuru asked, sounding as if she was speaking to the air. It seemed to her getting rid of one sibling would mean getting rid of them all and Saeko did seem to like having her children around, even if she did not agree with anything they did.

Saeko did not respond. She took a moment to calm herself, reminding herself that she should not let a commoner like Nadia get to her. She did not need to worry about Nadia right now anyway. Her focus was supposed to be on Shizuru and Natsuki, making sure that they did the right thing.

"Shizuru-san, you seem like a perfectly reasonable and proper lady, so I do not understand why you are going along with Natsuki's scheme to get out of marriage. If you seriously think that she will marry you, you are mistaken," Saeko informed the younger woman.

Shizuru smiled a bit, looking quite cocky. "You cannot take my Natsuki from me anymore than you would be able to take Shuichi from Nadia. I am glad that you finally understand that Natsuki and I are more than friends, but this is not something that you can stop." The dark look swirling in crimson eyes spoke even more than those words ever could.

Shizuru would not let anyone stand in the way of her marrying her Natsuki. She had waited years for the shy princess to propose and she was not going to let anyone take that away from her. She was going to spend her entire life with Natsuki, no matter what.

Saeko's insides quivered slightly from the look in Shizuru's eyes, but settled herself easily. She regarded the Otome with cold jade eyes. "We'll see how long this little rebellion lasts," the Queen declared with a haughty aura around her.

"Rebellion?" Shizuru echoed.

"That's all you are, another way for Natsuki to rebel against any and all tradition. She fights against the fact that she must act like a lady and you are only another notch in that rebellion, but it will not last. Her rebelling always falls short. She isn't so silly to try marrying you. You'll see," Saeko said and then she stood up to walk away.

Shizuru frowned; she was actually left more intimidated by the encounter than the Queen, she realized. She could not remember the last time someone was able to so easily shake off _the_ look from her like Saeko did. She was not sure the last time that someone had been able to mess with her mind in such a way, but she felt doubt barraging her brain, wondering if Saeko was correct. She tried shaking it away, dismissing it as ridiculous, but it was like a bomb in her brain and it certainly exploded before the Queen disappeared into the palace.

Deep, rust-colored eyes focused on the table beneath her, wondering if she was a form of rebellion for Natsuki. Sometimes, she did not know what to make of Natsuki. Sometimes, she did wonder why Natsuki was with her. Yes, she would quickly remind herself that Natsuki loved her, but then her mind would wander to another question: _why?_ Why did Natsuki love her?

Natsuki had never shown any inclination for liking women when she first showed up to Garderobe. Well, Natsuki never really showed any inclination for liking anyone. Eventually, Mai was able to worm her way into Natsuki's heart, but that was a friendship, maybe even a bond of sisters that went beyond even what Otome shared with each other. So, every so often, she wondered if it was ridiculous to think that Natsuki could feel such deep emotions for her. Natsuki was so cut off from everyone, so Shizuru did wonder if she had managed to break through all of the barriers that Natsuki put up.

"Hey, Shizuru, what you're doing out here?" Natsuki asked, breaking the older woman out of her thoughts.

"Natsuki?" Shizuru blinked hard and looked up to see her love gazing down on her.

"Who else would it be? After all, no two Krugers look alike," Natsuki joked with a grin. People tended to have a hard time believing that any of the siblings were related to each other, until they started watching behaviors.

Shizuru smiled. "Indeed they don't. Not that it matters since Nat-kun is the only one for me."

"Shizuru!" Natsuki whined and blushed deeply. There was something about Shizuru using a nickname that only her brothers used that was just embarrassing. But then again, just about everything that Shizuru did in regards to her with people around was embarrassing because for her, it always felt like people were seeing into their little private world.

The older woman did not say anything. She climbed to her feet and embraced Natsuki tightly. The hug was returned and it was through that touch that Shizuru was able to remind herself that Natsuki wanted _her_, Natsuki chose her, Natsuki _loved_ her.

"Shizuru, is something wrong?" the raven-haired principal asked curiously. She could just sense something off with her love.

"Why do you ask?" Shizuru countered.

"I thought Nadia was going to spend the day with you while we were out in the woods, but you're out here by yourself and Nadia is nowhere to be found. Did something happen? I know you two were getting along really well, so I don't think she said something to upset you."

"How do you know I'm upset?" the older woman asked curiously. Her love knew her well, she reminded herself. Surely Natsuki would not take the time to get to know her so well just to rebel against the traditions of her land, she silently assured herself.

Natsuki smiled. "I know you, love. Now, what happened?"

"Let's not talk about it out here."

Natsuki nodded and led Shizuru into the palace. They marched through the halls and retreated to Natsuki's bedchamber. They went to the couch that Natsuki had long ago forgotten was in the room and she sat down on the cushions while Shizuru sat down on her. Shizuru wasted no time curling into her lover's solid form.

"You're going to tell me what's wrong?" the younger woman asked in a quiet tone.

"I was just being silly, letting something I know isn't true get to me," Shizuru answered.

"Tell me," the request was just as quiet and gentle as the first question. She now knew that her lover was not as confident as she often let the world see and whatever was weighing on Shizuru, she wanted to make it disappear.

"Why does Natsuki love me?" Shizuru inquired in a low, almost scared voice.

Natsuki tensed from that question and the seriousness that was behind it. It hit her over the head like a baseball bat. She swayed slightly and Shizuru had to look up at her after a few seconds.

"Are you all right?" Shizuru begged to know.

"I'm fine, but why are you asking such crazy questions? You're not thinking about backing out of marrying me, are you?" Natsuki asked in a shaky tone.

"No, of course. It is my dream to marry Natsuki. I'm sorry. I was just wondering why you picked me. Is it a way to get back at your parents for something?"

Natsuki blinked hard. "What would make you say that?" she asked. She was supposed to be the dense one, so what was making Shizuru make such ridiculous inquiries, she wondered. Before the silence was broken with a response, Natsuki realized something. "What did my mother say to you?" she demanded to know. Only her mother could do something like this, plant a seed so easily and have it wreck havoc so quickly.

"…She might have implied that our relationship was just another form of your rebelling nature…" Shizuru admitted.

"And what the hell is making you take any of her nonsense seriously?"

"Well, you've never really been with anyone except me. What makes you so sure I am the one? How do you know you're not attracted to men like your mother insists? How do you know that this is what you want?" the tawny-haired woman inquired, clutching onto Natsuki, needing assurance that she was the one.

"You sound like my parents now. I know what I want because I know myself. I know I'm not attracted to men because when I look at them, I don't feel what I feel for you. I know you're the one because I know I can't live without you, I can't function at all without you, and I know you know how I know that one."

Shizuru was silent. She was aware that her lover was referring to a couple of months ago when they almost lost each other. She cuddled more into her beloved, as if the movement itself was an apology.

"I'm being silly, aren't I?" the older Otome asked.

"Not at all. I know my parents can be overwhelming and my mother opens her mouth a lot thinking that she knows me and what I want. She did this on purpose too, trying to get rid of you, thinking it's best for me. You shouldn't listen to her, though. I love you and I'm not letting you go, so you're marrying me and that's that," Natsuki declared with a grin. "You're stuck with me."

Shizuru smiled and sat up for a deep kiss. By the time she pulled away, Natsuki had a dazed look on her face. This got another smile out of Shizuru.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Shizuru said.

Relationship and egos thoroughly mended, the couple spent sometime just snuggled up on the sofa. They were fetched for dinner by Ran and Suzume; the pair barged in as always. They yelped when they saw the couple saddled up on the couch.

"Sorry, ouji-sama!" the two servants apologized. They were not going to get used to the fact that Natsuki might be doing something other than sleeping or playing video games in her room.

"It's okay," Natsuki assured them, even though she was considering that she might have to start locking her door, but then again, she knew at least one of her servants had the key. Locking the door might at least signal that they should knock.

"We were just coming to get you for dinner, ouji-sama," Suzume reported.

"Thanks," Natsuki said and then she turned her attention to Shizuru, who was pretending to be asleep. Natsuki poked her lover in the side. "I'm not carrying you to the table, so you might as well stop acting like you're sleeping right now."

"Please," Shizuru begged in a soft, sexy voice that quite easily got a blush from not just her lover, but also the servant girls.

Natsuki decided not to chance anything more outrageous than that outburst, especially when she saw how Ran and Suzume reacted to the tone. The principal rose to her feet, easily holding Shizuru up with her. The servants marveled over the princess' strength and Shizuru would not have been surprised to see hearts in their eyes.

"Mine," Shizuru reminded the pair while wrapping her arms around her lover's neck.

Natsuki grinned and felt a pride swell into her, causing her to puff out her chest. She carried Shizuru all the way to the dinner table. Their entrance turned heads and raised eyebrows. Her brothers did laugh a little as Natsuki put Shizuru down in a chair and then sat down herself.

"Hey, where's Shuichi-onii-sama?" Natsuki inquired as she noticed two people missing from the table.

"He's dining in his room tonight," Ryo answered.

Natsuki and her brothers were silent, but they did eye their mother for a second. Saeko was the only one that could rattle Shuichi or Nadia enough to keep them from the table. Seako did not acknowledge the stares, especially since her work was only halfway done.

"Shuichi-onii-sama isn't going to leave, is he?" Natsuki asked, sounding much like a scared child. She was having such a good time with her brothers, despite how her parents were acting, and she did not want that good time ruined.

"We don't know," Hiroshi admitted with a disheartened shrug.

"Shuichi can handle himself. There are other topics to be discussed," Saeko said suddenly.

"Like what?" Natsuki huffed, glaring at her mother like never before. It was like she was trying to will the woman that she looked so much like to burst into the hottest flames Hell had to offer. Her nerves were raw now because of what her mother had done to Shizuru's mind and now Shuichi and Nadia were absent from the table. The Queen seemed to be waging war and winning, but Natsuki vowed that it would stop soon.

"Tomorrow we are going to have a ball," Saeko informed her daughter.

Natsuki scoffed. "Another party," she spat with disgust.

"Yes, another party that you will attend," Saeko commanded in a stone-cold tone that was supposed to leave no room for argument.

The principal craned an eyebrow at the order. She was about to counter, but her mind was telling her that her mother was onto the next battle. Natsuki decided that she was going to assess the situation before working out a way to fight the battle and then the war because she was damn sure that she was going to win the war.

"Sure, I would love nothing more than to attend your ball," Natsuki told her mother, which earned her all sorts of bizarre looks, even from her own lover and brothers.

"You would?" Ryo asked skeptically. He could not recall their daughter going to anything proper without putting up a fight.

"I would. I'm sure Shizuru and I will have a great time. It will give Shizuru more people to show her ring off to," Natsuki replied. She watched her mother bristle ever-so slightly. Her mother finally knew and did not approve one little bit, Natsuki realized. So, she concluded that the sudden ball that she was ordered to attend had something to do with her mother's disapproval of her relationship.

"I doubt you will have time for such an endeavor," her mother stated.

"We'll see." The challenge was set.

--------------

"Natsuki, are you sure you want to go to this ball?" Shizuru asked curiously after they returned to Natsuki's bedroom. She was sitting on the bed in her night-clothing, which was a simple purple teddy that she did not plan to wear for long.

"I don't really have a choice, but I need to check this out anyway. My parents are up to something," Natsuki stated. She was standing in her closet, searching for the perfect "uniform" for her "battle" tomorrow.

"Ara, ara, what do you think they are up to?" the tawny-haired woman inquired, even though she could guess. Her appeal seemed to have worn off to Saeko and it was probably time for her to go, like Saeko attempted to do with Nadia. The ball was an attempt to attach a man to her love.

"Hell if I know. You have to remember, I'm the dense one," Natsuki remarked with a laugh.

"Only on certain matters," Shizuru commented. "Like knowing when to get out of the closet and come keep me warm."

Getting the not-so-subtle hint, the raven-haired woman walked out of the closet, trying not to laugh at the implications of where she was exiting. Her jaw dropped when she saw what Shizuru was wearing. The older woman chuckled a bit, but was very pleased with the reaction, especially since Natsuki had seen the particular piece that she was wearing.

"Standing there looking is still somewhat dense," Shizuru teased.

"Is that the teddy I always say looks so dull?" the principal asked curiously as she stepped closer to the bed.

Shizuru nodded and beckoned her lover with a crock of her finger. Natsuki moved with haste and crawled on the bed to Shizuru. She planted a passionate kiss to Shizuru's waiting, wanting lips and made a vow.

"No one is ever going to take you from me, especially not my parents. You are mine, Shizuru. You are the one for me, the one I want to spend the rest of my life with, the one I want to build a life with. Nothing will ever change that," Natsuki stated in a strong, but low tone.

Tears gathered in Shizuru's eyes. "Natsuki is becoming quite the romantic," she teased as those same tears glided down her face.

"I'm trying. I don't want to lose you."

"You won't," Shizuru promised. She leaned in for another kiss, full of love and desire, but not sexual desire. The desire of making a life with Natsuki, the desire to be with Natsuki for the rest of their lives, and the desire to make it through any and everything that Natsuki's parents throw at them.

----(Next day)

Natsuki was ducked in the closet once again when she heard the door open. She poked her head out of the wardrobe and saw her two trusty servants standing in the front of the room. She smiled until she noticed what Ran was holding. Her face immediately shifted in a frightened and perplexed expression.

"What the hell is that?" Natsuki demanded to know, pointing a shaking finger at the abomination in Ran's hands.

"This is the dress your mother wishes for you to wear," Suzume answered while Ran looked ready to cry, undoubtedly because Natsuki yelled.

Natsuki scoffed. "Fat chance. Ran, just throw it on the bed and you won't have to lie to my mother that you gave it to me."

"We're supposed to watch you put it on," Ran mumbled.

Natsuki nodded. "My mother tries to think of everything. Fine, you guys know how shy I am. I'll put it on in the closet."

The servants did not object; they knew that the princess was trying to make things easy for them when they had to face her mother after Natsuki disobeyed her. The princess took the dress and stepped into the closet. Moments after Natsuki disappeared in there, Shizuru stepped out of the bathroom, full dressed and ready to go.

"Ara, ara, where is Natsuki? She didn't abandon me, did she?" Shizuru pretended to ponder where her lover might have gone.

"Of course not!" Suzume chimed in immediately.

"Ouji-sama would never do such a thing!" Ran declared. Both servants puffed out their chests, proud to serve someone as honest and honorable as Natsuki.

"She's joking," Natsuki called out to her overprotective attendants.

"OH!" the pair said with understanding. They then bowed in apology to Shizuru, who waved them off.

Shizuru was going to say something to them, but Natsuki emerged from the closet. The lovers locked eyes, and they could not believe what they were seeing. Upon sight, Natsuki knew that she was going to have the best looking woman at the ball on her arm. Shizuru had her hair pinned up and decorated with pearls. The pearls matched the dress that she was wearing, which was sleeveless and clinging to Shizuru's ample cleavage to remain up. Her shoulders were covered by a silky scarf that had some violet mixed into the cream.

"Wow," Natsuki managed to mumble. She could not even remember enough words to suggest skipping the party.

Shizuru smiled. "My sentiments exactly," she remarked as she took in Natsuki, who was dressed in the dress that her mother wanted her to wear. Shizuru could not help chuckling a bit.

"Don't laugh! I'm not wearing this," Natsuki huffed. "My mother wanted Ran and Suzume to see me put it on. They've seen it and now I'm changing," she declared, marching back into the closet to find her own clothes.

"I have a hard time getting Natsuki to wear dresses. It's nice to see that she's difficult with everyone when it comes to that," Shizuru commented with a light-hearted smile.

"You can get ouji-sama into a dress?" Suzume asked in awe. Ran just looked completely and utterly amazed by that news.

Shizuru nodded and smiled. It was not very difficult for her to get Natsuki in a dress, but she knew that her love preferred pants. Natsuki moved better in pants and, of course, pants made it much easier to ride a motorcycle. Besides, Natsuki had a few embarrassing moments involving dresses that made her weary of the clothing.

Shizuru's thoughts were disturbed as Natsuki emerged from the closet again, this time dressed in a cream-colored suit with a very elaborate light blue-and-gold vest over her shirt. The suit jacket was long, close to the length of the jacket Natsuki wore as her principal's uniform. Her shoes were heeled, though low, and had golden buckles on them; she was dressed quite like the aristocrat, but it fit her.

"Shall we?" Natsuki proposed while offering Shizuru her elbow. Shizuru attached herself to the offered limb and they walked off to go to the ball. Natsuki was determined to deny her mother any more victories.

--------------

Next time: Natsuki thinks that she's gained the upper hand, but Saeko shows that she still has some fight left in her. Natsuki isn't allowed to leave the ball unless she's with a man, so what's the princess to do?


	15. Trump Card

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

15: Trump card

Natsuki walked with a rare confidence among the nobles when she entered the ballroom with her beloved on her arm. Usually, she held her current swagger for when she was in her element, dealing with leaders of states and diplomats. Faceless nobles typically were not people that Natsuki bothered with, because in her opinion they did not matter; they did not hold any true power. Now, though, she wanted everyone to know that she was in command; the situation was under her control, even though her parents wanted to think otherwise. The vibes that she was giving off screamed control now.

"Natsuki, do you notice something strange about this party?" Shizuru asked curiously as she allowed Natsuki to guide her down the stairs in order to join the ball.

"You mean that we're the only people with tits here?" Natsuki replied with a silly grin on her face. As far as she could tell, they were the only women in the hall.

Shizuru's face fell into a deadpan. "Thank you, Natsuki-chan." She should have expected such an answer, she thought.

The raven-haired woman did not let the nickname get to her. Instead, she had her attention out into the crowd. There were no noblewomen there, which struck some of the guests as odd. But, most of the guests knew what was going on...and Natsuki could guess what was going on. She was expected to connect with one of the hundred gentlemen in the hall. _Fat chance! _

"Do you think there is a husband out there for you?" Natsuki whispered to her lover, causing her love to shiver because of how close her lips were to Shizuru's delectable ear.

"Ara, ara, is my prince to be my husband also?" Shizuru asked with a delighted smile on her face and she squeezed Natsuki's hand.

The pale princess only laughed. She had a feeling that she was going to be putting up with those sorts of comments for the rest of her life, but she would not have it any other way. So, she decided to show off her future bride and let everyone see who she planned to leave with at the end of the night.

"Princess, it is grand to see you again," the first brave soul said, stepping up to the female couple before they made it too deep into the party.

Natsuki smiled politely and greeted the young man in return. She made sure to introduce Shizuru immediately and had no problems with introducing Shizuru the same that she did at the welcoming party—as her fiancée. He blinked in confusion, which the couple had come to expect.

"Your parents have led me and quite a few others here to believe that you are quite single," the young man informed Natsuki with a charming smile.

Natsuki smiled too. "My parents are misinformed. I am very much taken by this beautiful woman by my side," she declared with pride in her voice. She was pleased to see how well he was taking what she knew everyone in the country thought was odd—the fact that she was engaged to a woman. Shizuru suspected most people that now knew she and Natsuki were engaged either put a spin on it in their minds or thought they were joking in order to deal with it, but she kept her skepticism to herself.

He continued to smile, genuinely not put off by the news. "That is too bad. I have seen you from a far so many times since you left the country that I had hoped to become acquainted with you."

"You can be acquaintances with me, but nothing further than that. Shizuru is not the sharing type," Natsuki remarked.

"At least not when it comes to my Natsuki," Shizuru quipped, smiling politely. She was happy to see how comfortable Natsuki was in the party, so unlike she usually was. Natsuki seemed so determined and Shizuru knew that was all for her. It was enough for her to want to marry Natsuki right then and there with all the would-be suitors as their witnesses.

Once again, he seemed confused, but the couple did not dwell on it or on him. They navigated the room, giving each gentleman equal time to express their happiness at being invited, and Natsuki having the opportunity to introduce Shizuru since Natsuki knew almost all of the men. The ones that she did not know were afforded the chance to introduce themselves and put on a charming smile before finding out that Natsuki was very much taken. All of the men took the news the same—smiling and looking a little bemused, which just drove home the point for Shizuru that the men did not quite understand that she and Natsuki were going to be legally married sometime in the near future.

The rounds took over an hour, but by that time, Shizuru was ready be unleashed on them all without Natsuki by her side. The princess let her beloved go and watched her work the crowd for a few minutes, seemingly gliding in all of her actions. She smiled to herself while thinking about what a sight her love was.

"_And to think that she wants to marry an idiot like me when she could have her pick of any man or woman on the planet. What the hell is she thinking?"_ Natsuki asked herself with a light laugh.

As Natsuki watched her lover work her magic, she wanted to tell everyone in the hall just who Shizuru was with, but she knew that was not necessary. Shizuru was having the time of her life showing off her ring to all of the boys, letting them know that she was very taken and not by them. Natsuki was pretty sure if her body filled with any more pride, she would drift off into space. Before that happened, there were two people that she needed to find.

The princess moved through the crowd like a shark in the deep ocean. She paused to speak with any male that blocked her path, but did not allot anyone more than a few minutes of her time. She made sure to let everyone know that she was attending the ball with her fiancée, who she easily pointed out because it was so very simple for her to spot Shizuru in a crowded room.

Natsuki spotted her targets while she was mingling with all of her "potential suitors." She did not want them to know that she was making her way toward them, so she continued to speak with the men attending the party. She actually stood with a group that she thoroughly liked for almost twenty minutes; they were all friends of her brothers and used to treat her like "one of the boys."

Out of the corner of her eyes, Natsuki was able to see how her targets were reacting to socializing. They appeared happy, which only made her scowl. It would seem that they could only be happy for her when she was doing what they wanted, not when she was doing what she knew was right.

"_Well, can't let them be too happy for too long over something that just isn't right_," Natsuki thought.

The raven-haired principal came up behind her targets. She watched them watch the crowd for a moment. She suspected that they were looking for her. Their eyes fell upon Shizuru, who was laughing lightly among a small group of gentlemen.

"Well, at least the friend is trying. I suppose she did just need some men to choose from," Ryo commented. He thought that it was a good idea for Shizuru to see what she was missing out with men in order to get her away from Natsuki and he figured that things were going well.

"More than likely. They are both cooped up in that all girls' school all the time with nothing but women around them, so she probably just drifted toward Natsuki because our daughter acts so much like a boy," Saeko reasoned.

Natsuki could not help it snickering, but made sure to do it in an extremely low manner. So, Shizuru was with her just because she was "so much like a boy"? It was good to know. Now, if only someone could tell Shizuru that she was not the big old lesbian that she pretended to be everything would add up, she thought with another laugh.

"Now, Natsuki needs to follow her lead," Ryo stated.

"Natsuki needs to follow whose lead?" the princess inquired, causing her parents to jump in surprise. They spun around to see her.

"Natsuki-chan, what are you doing over here when you are supposed to be out there?" Saeko demanded to know.

"And why am I supposed to be out there, Mom? You want me to pick a husband right now from the floor models?" Natsuki remarked with a small, smart-aleck smile.

"Yes," Saeko answered with force. Apparently, the gloves were off and there was no hiding what was going on.

"It might bother you to know then that Shizuru has already claimed me as her husband," Natsuki informed them with a shameless grin. Of course, it bothered her to be thought of in such a way, but she knew that it would bother her parents too, which was exactly the point. Thankfully, she knew that Shizuru was not serious about seeing her as a husband, but her parents did not know that.

"It doesn't look like that from here," Saeko said rather smugly while casting a linger gaze in Shizuru's direction. Shizuru was still doing what she did best in a crowd of people—making them feel like the sun was shining just for them and she was the sun.

The younger woman shrugged. "Looks can be deceiving. What exactly is your problem with this? Is it because Shizuru is a woman?"

"Partly. Natsuki, there is not enough time in the day to explain to you what is wrong with this…thing…you have begun. Do you want to bring horrible scandal to the Kruger dynasty?" Saeko demanded to know. "Are you so selfish and careless that you would damage not just your immediate family, but an entire legacy with your actions?"

Natsuki blinked hard and her mother seemed to know that she struck something within the Otome. Ryo turned his attention completely to them when he noticed the glint of triumph in his wife's jade eyes. Natsuki straightened herself out, but it was too late. Her mother was going to go in for the kill. Natsuki silently cursed herself for letting her guard down before the assault even started.

"You know how Saxas is. There are always nobles trying to claw their way to the top, trying to tear away at the Krugers, wanting to replace the old guard with something new, something their own. Now, you may not always agree with us, but you know that giving the nobles ammunition would hurt this country, this country that I know you love," Saeko told Natsuki.

The confident look that had been plastered on Natsuki's face for almost two hours cracked, shattered, and slipped away like melting ice. Saxas, like any other country on the planet, was brimming with political intrigue. While her father was not the most hatred Kruger to take the throne, he also was not without enemies. Any scandal could be enough to get them started, and she knew that for a fact. Making matters worse was that a royal scandal could bring trouble not just to the Kruger family, but to all of Saxas.

"Natsuki?" Ryo said when he saw her own eyes cloud over and making it obvious that her mind was whirling worse than hurricane.

"I need some air," Natsuki grumbled and retreated. _Damn_; the war was still on and the stakes had just been raised. High.

Ryo watched their daughter march away in a manner that he had never seen her move. It was like she was cutting the air and if anyone stepped in her path, that person would be sliced in two by the energy coming from her. He pitied anyone that got in her way.

"Do you think that was necessary?" Ryo asked his wife. He really did not like how upset and subdued Natsuki seemed. Krugers never made the best decisions when they were so upset that they did not even scream.

"Would you rather become the laughing stock that she is turning the family line into? It was cute when she was younger and everyone thought that she was a little prince, but now, it just looks as if we raised a deranged girl. You know that your enemies would use this farce of hers against you," Saeko reminded him.

Ryo nodded, knowing that she was right. All some nobles in Saxas needed was an excuse and they would be up in arms, screaming about how immoral the regime was and how it was time for a change. Of course, by "change" they meant rule going from the Kruger family to themselves. They had already started causing a fuss when Shuichi came back with a foreign wife; they caused enough noise where Ryo had to actually change his heir-apparent. Koji was actually next in line to inherit the throne thanks to his big brother's rash actions of marrying Nadia; well, he was until the whole thing started to blow over and Ryo changed back to the original plan of Shuichi inheriting the throne. He knew that none of his children could rule if their beloved big brother was still around and competent enough to do the job and it would be wrong of him to ask them to try.

"We really don't need any more excitement from our children anymore," he conceded with a sigh. He was a bit grateful that they did not have more grandchildren, knowing just how strong Kruger genes were and all he could think about was how much of a handful grandchildren from his brood would be. He needed his own children to calm down before they started seriously reproducing.

"This is what you get for knocking me up so many times," Saeko teased her husband. He chuckled a bit and shook his head.

"You're the one that wanted a girl," he reminded her.

Saeko smiled and nodded. "And I want that girl to know the same joys of family that we have, which is something I really don't think she understands."

--------------

Shizuru spotted her lover making her way out of the hall. She tracked Natsuki while continuing to smile at the gentlemen around her. She could tell just from the way that Natsuki was walking, something was not right. She then flashed them all her most brilliant, radiant smile as she excused herself. She had a girlfriend to chase down.

The graceful Otome practically floated through the crowd, going after her lover. She ended up in the gardens and saw Natsuki standing on a terrace, gazing down into the lake as the full moon danced overhead. The principal was tense and did not acknowledge her lover, even though she was fully aware of beloved's presence. Shizuru stood next to Natsuki and they were quiet together.

"You know, I didn't think this through as thoroughly I tend to do with most things," Natsuki said out of the blue.

"This?" Shizuru echoed as a lump started to build in her throat. Her stomach flopped as her mind decided that it did not like the tone that Natsuki was using.

"Our engagement and telling my parents," the shorter woman vaguely explained.

The lump in Shizuru's throat was now seized by tightness. Her chest felt like it was being compressed and squeezed. She weakly took Natsuki's hand into her own, holding onto Natsuki's first two fingers.

"Is Natsuki…does Natsuki…?" Shizuru could not even get the question out. Tears welled up in her eyes as she tried to figure out just what her lover was trying to say.

Natsuki turned to Shizuru and took her into her arms. She planted a chaste, but telling kiss to Shizuru's cheek. She felt Shizuru relax to a point.

"I will marry you, Shizuru. I never go back on my word and I love you like no other in the world. Still, bringing you here and announcing it to everyone that we met wasn't the best strategic plan I have ever had," Natsuki said.

"What's wrong?" the taller woman asked.

"I was reminded of how much of scandal this could bring not just my family, but the whole Kruger dynasty. My father has enemies that wait for these little moments. They came out of the woodworks when Shuichi married Nadia, or so I'm told anyway. I wasn't really here at the time. But, I do know that whatever funk people raised about Shuichi being married to Nadia cost him the throne for a long while. Who knows, it might still cost him the throne when the time comes."

Shizuru's forehead wrinkled a bit in confusion. "What do you mean? All because he married Nadia, no one would accept him as king?"

Natsuki shook her head and let out a really weak grin. "I live some place really backwards, huh?"

"No, Natsuki. It has customs and culture like any other place," Shizuru replied, caressing her lover's cheek to let Natsuki know that she was being sincere.

"Nadia isn't accepted because she's a foreigner. She's full of 'weird' customs, as the people look at it. My father's enemies played on people's fear that if Nadia were queen, she would want to change Saxas and she wouldn't understand Saxas and all other kinds of trouble that really wouldn't come up. I think now people are starting to realize their fears weren't founded. Seeing Nadia in public, on Shuichi's arm, not seeming quite as foreign as they first suspected."

"And why is that?"

Natsuki laughed a bit. "A lot of reasons, I suppose. One, you've met Nadia and she's just as friendly as anyone can be if you let her. That side of her comes across to people that meet her. The next thing is, I think people realized that they had lost Shuichi as a leader. We Kruger siblings aren't the only ones that worship Shuichi-onii-sama. He's really the country's favorite son. Yes, they like Koji, but Shuichi is Shuichi. Besides, they see that Nadia hasn't changed him in all of the years that they've been married, so maybe there's really nothing to be scared of. Lastly, they're kind of like a fairy tale. You know, the common girl meets the handsome prince and they fall in love, so she becomes a princess? Regular people really like that."

"Then what is the problem, Natsuki? If it worked out for Shuichi, why should it not work out for Natsuki?" Shizuru asked curiously.

Natsuki chuckled a bit. "I'm not Shuichi."

"I have noticed this," Shizuru remarked with a smile of her own. "The people love Natsuki. I was able to see that with my own eyes when we walked through Kugan together. You are loved here."

"Loved enough for them to not start riots if I marry a woman?" Natsuki wondered aloud. "I doubt it. What you've seen, Shizuru, is just the initial reaction to my arrival. If we stayed longer and went back into the city, it would be different. I'm not like Shuichi. I've been aboard for over ten years. I've never acted much the part of a lady. I'm strange to them. Yes, I have some novelty. I'm…cute to them," Natsuki spat the word and her body tensed for a moment.

"Natsuki, you're not a mascot to these people," Shizuru tried to assure her lover, holding Natsuki closely to soothe her.

"I am," the princess insisted in a low tone while cuddling into Shizuru.

"You are not. Your people love you as you love them. Yes, you are cute, but not in the manner that a pet is cute. You should have more faith in yourself, Natsuki, especially if this is a bomb that your mother planted in your mind," Shizuru pointed out. She placed a chaste kiss to the side of her beloved's head.

"I let her win another one, didn't I?" Natsuki commented with a forced laugh. She had so easily given into her mother's words because she knew the reality of court intrigue, even if she had not lived through it in the better part of ten years.

"I don't think it counts as a win if we're still together, love," Shizuru remarked with a smile. She had to pull away a little for the younger woman to see her expression and that got a genuine laugh out of Natsuki.

"I get the feeling that you're marrying me come Hell or high water," the principal quipped with a near-grin. She was thankful that Shizuru managed to talk her away from the edge that she was near. She had not been planning to call off the engagement, but she had been considering this might be her last trip home.

"As you would say, hell, yes," Shizuru answered.

Natsuki blinked hard from the use of profanity. Shizuru smiled and leaned down to plant a deep kiss on her love's mouth before Natsuki could regain her composure. Shizuru made sure that her fiancée did not have a chance to regain her composure either. By the time Shizuru pulled away, she had left Natsuki in a daze.

Natsuki's eyes were half-closed by the end of the kiss. Shizuru could not help smiling to herself as she saw her lover sway a little. She made sure to keep her arms around Natsuki, so the princess did not fall over.

"Ara, ara, it seems I can still kiss my Natsuki silly," Shizuru teased, which earned her a blush that she was able to see by the moonlight.

"Anytime, babe," Natsuki commented.

It was Shizuru's turn to blush. "It's been a while since Natsuki has called me that."

"I suppose I just grew out of it. One of the few things I have grown out of. Should I shrink back into it?" the raven-haired woman inquired quite seriously. She did not have any real nicknames for Shizuru. Shizuru had many for her through out the years; most she forced Shizuru to stop using because they thoroughly embarrassed her.

"I would like that," Shizuru admitted.

"That's fine then," Natsuki easily conceded. The wheels in her head started to turn as she hoped to think of some sort of term of endearment that she could start using toward Shizuru.

The couple snuggled close to each other again and then turned to look out into the lake. Shizuru rested her head against Natsuki's as she turned her gaze to the moon. She held onto her lover tightly.

"I'm glad that Natsuki still wants to marry me," Shizuru said.

"It never crossed my mind to not marry you," Natsuki replied.

"No? Then why was my Natsuki out here looking so forlorn and insightful?"

The princess smiled a little. "Trust me, I wasn't thinking about not marrying you. We've been through this, Shizuru. I can't live without you, so there's no way that I was planning to let you go."

A curious expression passed through crimson eyes. "Then what?"

"I was thinking about never coming back here if marrying you truly presented a problem."

It was Shizuru's turn to blink hard. Natsuki had considered forsaking her beloved country in order to marry her? Shizuru felt her heart swell in her chest. She dared to wander what it was she had done to earn someone like Natsuki in her life. Yes, they had nearly come to ruin once, but other than that Natsuki had always been a kind and considerate lover. Too bad Natsuki never figured it out, but then again, that was part of her appeal and one of the many things that made her so cute.

"Are you all right, Shizuru?" Natsuki asked when she noticed Shizuru's shocked expression.

"I'm fine. Were you really planning to not come back here if marrying me was a problem?" the tawny-haired Otome asked.

"I figured that I would have to choose between you and Saxas. I'm sure that I can live without Saxas. I know that I can't live without you. I will build a life with you, Shizuru. I want to grow old with you."

"Natsuki is going to make me cry," Shizuru said.

"The good kind of cry, right?" Natsuki asked just to be sure.

"Of course."

"Could you just kiss me instead?" the principal requested.

Shizuru smiled; that was definitely something that she could do. She captured Natsuki's lips with her own once more. Natsuki was able to return the show of affection since she was not caught off-guard. They melted into each other, forgetting everything that was around them. When they finally ended the kiss, they barely moved a breath away from each other.

"You know, we do have a party we're supposed to be attending…" Natsuki reminded her love in a whisper.

"I get the feeling that Natsuki has other plans because of the sneakiness in her tone," Shizuru joked with a big, bright smile on her face.

"Well, I was thinking that maybe we could skip the gentlemen and go get in some practice for our wedding night. I would like to be at the top of my game." Natsuki wiggled her eyebrows.

"Natsuki hardly needs practice in that area, but who am I to deny her?"

The principal could not help grinning and she pulled Shizuru back toward the party. They needed to make a round of goodnights before they did anything. After all, they did represent Garderobe and they did not want the school to get a bad reputation from their rudeness. But, their farewells were decidedly hasty and they were beyond caring about how that looked.

Ryo and Saeko watched as the couple made their way through the crowd. They both frowned, able to tell the pep in Natsuki's step and the sudden need to tell everyone attending the party goodbye. Ryo's frown turned into a scowl when noticed Saeko's expression.

"She's not leaving," Ryo assured his wife.

Before Saeko could ask what he was talking about, the King was on the move. He cut through the group of partygoers and put himself in Natsuki's path. His daughter almost ran him over.

"Dad!" Natsuki yelped as she stepped back to avoid hitting him.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ryo demanded, staring at her with stern eyes.

"Going? Nowhere!" Natsuki blatantly lied. There was no shame on her face, only an eager look in her eyes, which were tracking Shizuru's movements as she made it closer to the front doors.

"You're not going to leave this room until you have chosen a man that will—" He was cut off.

"Court me?" Natsuki glared at her father for a moment. And then got a brilliant idea. "No problem, Dad. I will not leave here without a man on my arm," she promised.

Before Ryo could say anything, Natsuki was on the move again. Instead of moving closer to the door, she ended up going deeper into the fray. Shizuru noticed and wondered just what her lover was doing.

"Is Natsuki planning to leave me?" Shizuru asked, using her GEM to communicate with her fiancée.

"I was actually hoping that you would leave first and get warmed up from my arrival," Natsuki remarked with a confident smirk.

"Ohhhh." Shizuru moaned shivered. "I love it when my Natsuki gets all naughty."

"Then go. I have to do a song and a dance to get out of here."

Shizuru was silent for a moment. She had to stop and picture that one. The image, of course, made her snicker. She might have to tease Natsuki about that later on. Right now, she needed to get out of the ballroom and get to the bedroom. She wanted to be good and ready by the time Natsuki showed up.

Natsuki casually made her way over to a young Duke and smiled at him. "Kenji, I need you to help me," she whispered into his ear. He was an old friend of her big brothers'. She was pretty sure that, like her brothers, he was not totally convinced that she was a girl and she knew that he would help her. He was just that type of guy.

"Anything for the little prince," the young man, Kenji, remarked with a smile on his face.

"My fiancée is waiting for me in the bedroom, but I can't leave the ball unless there's some young man attached to me. Could you be that young man?" Natsuki requested.

"As long as one of your brothers isn't going to show up and punch me in the throat like they did to my cousin when we were little," Kenji commented with a light laugh.

"You cousin was a pervert. He was like five years older than me," the princess reminded her escort.

"You're right. He damn sure was a pervert…still is now that I think about. Anyway, let's get you out of here and to your sweetheart. Besides, mine is going to kill me, too, if she finds out I'm out trying to get hitched to the princess," Kenji said with a grin.

Natsuki blinked. "You're married?"

"Yeah, I finally got married. Now that I think about it, my wife probably wouldn't care that I was out at a party designed for you to find a man. She used to have a little crush on you, little prince."

Natsuki rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right."

"It's true. A lot of girls had crushes on you, just like they did your brothers."

She rolled her eyes again. Kenji decided not to argue with her; he knew quite well how dense these Krugers could be. Of course, the Krugers made up for their denseness in other, friendlier ways, so he had no problem with helping Natsuki out of the ballroom. On the way out, they made sure to grin in her parents' direction.

"They're going to kill you later," Kenji pointed out as they made it out of the doors.

"It's more than worth it. Thanks for getting me out of there," Natsuki replied.

"No problem, little prince. Just remember me for the wedding. If I don't get an invitation, your parents might suspect that I never actually intended to marry you," he joked.

"Why you cad!" Natsuki gasped dramatically, which got a laugh out of both of them. "I would never forget to invite you, Kenji, especially since you're not bothered by it."

"Your brothers clued me in a little. Besides, it's hard to picture you…" He trailed off, not sure if he was going to offend her or not with the end of his sentence.

She smiled a bit. "You're not the first person to think so. For me, it's just hard for me to picture me with anyone aside for Shizuru. I'm glad you don't think less of me because I really love her and I am going to marry her."

Kenji nodded. "That's good. Just don't forget my invite and none of that 'it got lost in the mail' crap that Shuichi-sama pulled either. I know he didn't invite everybody, but he could've invited me," he pretended to whine.

Natsuki snickered and walked off without saying anything. She did offer Kenji a wave without turning around. She disappeared into her bedchambers where she knew her future-wife was ready for her. Her parents were not going to win this war, she silently vowed.

--------------

Next time: Finding out that they do not have Natsuki in checkmate, Ryo and Saeko go in for their final move.


	16. Gambit

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

16: Gambit

"Oh, Natsuki!"

The loud cry rang through much of "Natsuki's" wing of the palace. The few maids that were up at the late hour paused from their work and blushed. The scream that followed bounced off the walls and kept everyone from working for another few seconds.

"Natsuki!"

The pale princess dropped onto a panting Shizuru, their sweat-soaked bodies overheating and igniting each other. Natsuki kissed Shizuru's flushed throat while Shizuru wrapped her arms around Natsuki. Shizuru tried to get her breathing under control while trying to remember the last time that her lover was so…exhausting. Her mind was too worn out to think, though.

"You know, you might have woken the whole palace with that one," Natsuki snickered as she lifted herself up on her elbows. Her upper body taunted Shizuru's by touching in a way that seemed ghostly because the thin distance between them.

"Ara, ara, teasing your fiancée is not a very princely thing to do, ouji-sama," the tawny-haired Otome commented with a tired smile. Her bangs were sticking to her forehead and cheeks thanks to the sweat gathered over her body.

Natsuki smiled. "I'm glad you didn't scream that. I would hate for someone to run in here, thinking I'm fucking one of the maids," she remarked with a laugh.

Shizuru grinned lazily. "They are cute maids," she joked as her hands developed a mind of their own. Her hands did not seem to be as fatigued as the rest of her and leisurely explored Natsuki's taut naked back and shoulders.

Natsuki suppressed a shudder to continue on their conversation. "Keep it up and tomorrow I'll have them all reassigned and get a bunch of hairy men to do the job."

Shizuru gasped dramatically. "You wouldn't dare! They would all hate me if they knew I was the reason they were transferred from their dear ouji-sama's services."

"You're just going to rub this in for all it's worth, huh?" Natsuki asked, referring to her title. She was not going to admit it, but she had always liked the title and loved the way it rolled off of her lover's tongue.

"Yes, ouji-sama."

"If that's the case, I'll have to rub other things for all they're worth."

"No, Natsuki, I can't go again!" Shizuru lied, making sure to be overly dramatic. There was never a time that she could not go again with Natsuki. She could not get enough of her dear Natsuki. Her plea was, of course, taken the exact opposite way because of that.

--------------

"Tonight ended well, right?" Ryo asked his wife as they prepared for bed. It had taken them over an hour to bid farewell to all of the guests that arrived for their hastily prepared ball. They did not care since Natsuki had left the party with a gentleman.

"It did," Saeko concurred. It went even better when she spoke to some of the servants, who told her that Natsuki had walked around with Kenji for a little while, talking to each other. She just hoped that the servants were not lying on behalf of their "ouji-sama" as they were sometimes known to do; quite a few servants had little qualms about lying when it came to the youngest two Kruger children.

"I think I will feel much better when Natsuki is married. She needs a man taking care of her. She can get all of these silly notions about staying abroad out of her head once she settles down with a nice young noble from Saxas," the King commented with a delighted smile. He really liked the idea of their little girl finally coming home and living like they thought she should.

Saeko nodded. "It will be nice to have our little girl back home." She smiled at the thought too and let all sorts of ideas dance through her head, each one more promising than the last.

"Perhaps she'll be the one to give us some grandchildren running around here," Ryo commented.

The Queen nodded again, much more enthusiastically than before; that was one of the thoughts running through her mind now. The only one of their children to have children of his own so far was Shuichi. He had two little boys, but they were always left with Nadia's parents when the couple came to visit. Saeko suspected it was Nadia who made that decision, being spiteful and keeping them from their grandchildren. Of course, she did not have any evidence to support that theory.

"I think that Natsuki would make a good…parent," Ryo said. They both paused, taking in his choice of words. Neither of them had the courage to address why he would say that.

"Perhaps we should wait a few moments before planning so far ahead," Saeko suggested after a long silence. Ryo nodded in agreement.

The King and Queen went to sleep with thoughts of grandchildren dancing through their heads. They were in for a shock when breakfast came the next morning. Natsuki and Shizuru entered the dining hall, holding hands and smiling. There was a glow about the Otomes and a sparkle in their eyes that was hard to ignore.

Natsuki pulled out Shizuru's chair for her, which was something that she did every morning, but at the moment it seemed more noticeable. As soon as Natsuki was seated next to her, Shizuru took her lover's hand in hers and they gazed lovingly at each other. Natsuki played with Shizuru's fingers for a moment before Shizuru lifted Natsuki's hands to her lips for a little kiss. Kenta began to gag, which made his brothers chuckle while his sister did not seem to notice; they all suspected that all that existed in Natsuki's world at the moment was Shizuru.

"God, if you two got any more lovey-dovey I might not be able to hold my breakfast down," Koji commented with a teasing grin.

"And I might decide to pluck out my eyes," Hayate chimed in. "The only couple I've seen this disgustingly in love is Shuichi-onii-sama and Nadia-onee-san." He jabbed his thumb in the direction of the aforementioned couple, who were sitting quietly in their usual seats. The siblings were quite happy to know their big brother and sister-in-law had not left, which had been their original plan.

"Natsuki-chan, what happened to the gentleman you left the party with?" Saeko demanded to know, glaring at her daughter. Ryo was scowling in the direction of the Otomes.

"Gentleman?" Shizuru echoed with a curious look on her face as she turned to watch her lover.

"Kenji-san? I believe he had to go home to his wife. It was very kind of him to escort me out of the ballroom, though," Natsuki answered with a sly grin on her face. Her eyes shouted "gotcha!" at her parents.

"Kenji-san? You saw Kenji last night?" Hayate asked his little sister.

"Yes, he was here for a private party that Mom and Dad so kindly threw for me and Shizuru." Natsuki turned from her brother to her parents as she continued. "It was wonderful. Just what Shizuru and I needed," she stated with a smile.

"Natsuki, this is not some game!" Saeko declared, hitting the table with her palm, causing all of her offspring to jump at the rare loss of control.

"Uh-oh. Nat-kun broke Mom," Hiroshi remarked, trying his best to hold in his laughter. He doubted their mother would take kindly to being laughed at right now.

"Funny, I always thought it would be Hayate that broke Mom," Koji quipped.

"This is not a matter to be laughed at! You're going to turn this whole family into a laughing stock, bring scandal to our name, and hurt everyone at this table, in this house, and in this country. I don't know what foreign concepts you've picked up on while away from Saxas, but this is not right and I cannot allow it!" Saeko proclaimed as she leaped to her feet.

"I love whom I love, Mom, and I love Shizuru. I will marry Shizuru. The world will not come to an end, I promise you. If things do turn out as bad as you think they will, then I will simply renounce my name," Natsuki countered.

There were so many deep gasps that it was amazing there was still air in the room. The act was followed by the loudest silence possible. Everyone seemed scared to breathe, but they did have to exhale at some point. Through it all, mother and daughter glared at each other like bitter enemies.

"How can you do this to us?" Saeko inquired through gritted teeth in a hard tone.

"I'm not doing anything to you. You're doing it to yourself. You and Dad are the only ones here that have a problem with me being with Shizuru," Natsuki pointed out. Well, of course, most of her sister-in-laws had a problem with it, but she did not count them since they did not matter.

"You're not like this, Natsuki. You had a real fiancée once," the Queen said.

"I didn't pick him. You picked him for me," Natsuki stated. "I'm choosing Shizuru. She's the person I want to spend the rest of my life with and if you can't accept that then there's nothing more I can do. It's your deal, Mom, not mine. I'm not getting rid of Shizuru just because you don't like the idea of two women being together. I mean, it's not even like you dislike Shizuru! You like her more than you like me! If she were a man, you would've probably forced us to get married by the second day we were here!"

Saeko jumped right in as soon as Natsuki was done. "Natsuki, you are not this way. You have just been surrounded by that culture for so long that you think you are, but you're not."

"You don't know me as well as you think you do, Mom. I love Shizuru. Do you want me to go shout it from the mountain tops? I would do it in a second. I would get on radio, television, and the internet to broadcast to the whole world that I love a wonderful woman who wants to actually marry a crazy idiot like me. You think I'm just going to throw her away because you don't like the idea of two women being together? If that's the case, at least I know I got my crazy honestly," the principal declared.

"You're going to pick her over your family?" Saeko demanded to know.

"I'm not picking her over my family. My family accepts her, Mom." Natsuki motioned to her brothers, all whom nodded.

Saeko frowned deeply and felt cutting sensation in her stomach that she knew was the sting of betrayal. All of her children were against her and what she knew was right; she felt more than betrayed, but she was not even sure what was beyond that emotion. Ryo growled and stood up, taking his wife in his arms as if he was trying to keep her from literally falling apart.

"Breakfast is cancelled. All of you remove yourselves from our presence," the King ordered in a low tone.

"Dad—" Natsuki started, but did not get any further than that.

"NOW!" Ryo bellowed.

Kruger offspring moved as if their asses were on fire in order to get out of the room. Only two grabbed their mates as they fled, Shuichi and Natsuki were the two. The group retreated out into one of the larger gardens of the estate.

"Wow, I don't remember the last time that Dad was that pissed off," Hayate said as they all stared back at the house. His siblings silently agreed.

"Nothing we can do about it now. Nat-kun had a point, after all," Hiroshi commented while patting his sister on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Hiro-onii-san," Natsuki said with a weary, but proud smile. It was good to know that her brothers were behind her.

"Don't congratulate her!" Rachelle hollered while slapping her husband's hand from his sister's form. "She's a disgrace and she's planning to drag all of you down for this filthy peasant!" She curled her lip while motioning to Shizuru, who was pressed against Natsuki in a protective manner.

"I wouldn't expect as ass like you to understand why I did what I did. You only married my brother for the status, after all," Natsuki spat, disgust dripping from her tone.

"Don't think that I will stand such disrespect, ouji-sama," Rachelle replied, growling at the title with visible contempt. She dared to take a step toward the princess.

"Don't think that being married to my brother will spare you my wrath if you were to disrespect Shizuru again. What I do is hardly any of your business. If you want to stay in good with my parents, more power to you, but don't try to lump me in there. I will not compromise myself or Shizuru because you're scared of what people will say," Natsuki informed Rachelle.

The glare in her eyes stopped Rachelle cold in her tracks and made the sister-in-law feel like her blood froze in her body for more seconds than she liked. Rachelle dared to retreat behind her husband. Hiroshi glanced behind him and wondered if his wife really was stupid enough to think he would be the one to stop Natsuki should she decide to but a boot in Rachelle's ass.

"You cowards aren't going to say anything, are you?" Sakura demanded, speaking to the Kruger brothers. They all looked at her like they thought she was crazy.

"There's nothing to say. We support Nat-kun," Shuichi stated. "Now, let's go into town and get some breakfast."

"How can you support such outrageous behavior?!" the sister-in-laws all screamed.

"It's quite simple. Our baby brother is happy," Koji replied while motioning to the youngest Kruger. "And it helps that we really like Shizuru," he added with a sincere smile.

"Ara, ara, I feel so accepted," Shizuru remarked with a smile.

"You are. You make Nat-kun happy and that's good enough for us," Kenta promised with a wide grin.

"And you don't mind that there will be a scandal?" Shizuru asked to be sure. There was some churning in her insides as she thought about how much trouble she was causing Natsuki and her family. Still, she could not back down, not while Natsuki was still fighting and not while she was still very much in love with Natsuki.

"We'll live through it. We have before," Shuichi assured her. "Our family has reigned over this country for a long time. It's impossible not to have scandals and even though the princess marrying a woman might be a big thing, the fact that it's legal for you to do it in many parts of the world will be something for Saxas and surrounding nations to think about. Like Natsuki said, it won't be the end of the world."

Shizuru nodded. "I suppose so."

"Now, for that breakfast," Shuichi said again, and the Kruger siblings all rallied in agreement with him that they needed to get some breakfast. They walked off with dejected sisters-in-law following behind them, not sure what else to do.

--------------

Ryo and Saeko sat, staring at the empty breakfast table as if it would offer them any answers as to what just happened. Their bodies were so tense that it looked as if they would shatter if they were touched. Servants lingered on the edges of the room, waiting for orders that never came. The entire room was deathly silent for several long minutes.

The silence was broken by the sound of Saeko's tense voice. "Natsuki-chan is not like this."

"I know," Ryo concurred in a low, reassuring tone.

"Why does she not see that she is not like this?" Saeko begged to know. She looked like she was on the verge of tears, but also ready to explode in a rage.

"She's confused obviously. After all, we have heard the rumors about Otome. We just didn't think that it was possible, so it couldn't be true. Plus, Natsuki did have her own fiancé before," the King pointed out.

"How could she say that we picked him? She was the one dating him for months. When he contacted us, we were surprised that Natsuki had finally met someone," Saeko recalled, a half-smile fighting its way onto her face.

"We were. For a while, I thought that Natsuki was going to be alone her whole life and then that happened. I thought for sure that Natsuki found someone to complete her and make her whole. I couldn't believe when Takeda-san called and said that Natsuki broke off the engagement. Do you think that maybe she just got scared?" Ryo wondered aloud.

"Isn't that what Takeda-san said? He explained that things had been going very well, but some friend of Natsuki's managed to talk her out of marrying him. I wonder if Shizuru was that friend," Saeko pondered out loud, brow furrowing in deep thought.

"Perhaps. I think I know what we need to do to get Natsuki to do what is right," the King declared.

"What is your idea?"

"What if we brought Takeda-san here? Maybe seeing him will remind Natsuki of what they once had. Surely it has been out-of-sight out-of-mind for her since she broke up with him, but maybe seeing him will make her remember the bond they once shared."

Green eyes lit up like flashing gems. "Excellent idea, Ryo dear! I'm sure that's what it's like for Natsuki. When she sees him again, she'll probably fly into his arms. When is the soonest we can get him here?"

"I'll have to find out where he is first. I can easily track him down and I will get him here as soon as possible," Ryo stated.

"Then hurry now! I don't want to lose our little girl!" Saeko cried.

"We're not going to lose her. She'll always be our little girl, no matter what," Ryo pointed out as he pulled his wife to his form. She settled against him and sighed.

"This is so strange. I told you we shouldn't have sent her to that school. There is just something wrong with that place."

"She wanted to go to school like her brothers," he reminded her.

"We didn't have to give in. There are dozens of brilliant schools around here that she would have done fine in. She would have had a chance to grow into a lady, yet we sent her to Garderobe." Saeko sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes.

"It was necessary and she wanted to go. We are the only country in the area with an Otome. Yes, Ires is following, but we could make a small alliance with Ires if Natsuki does marry Takeda."

The Queen nodded. "That we could, and even if Natsuki had to leave to visit his family, they would only be one island away instead of half the world." She smiled brightly.

Ryo nodded and kissed the top of her head. He knew that despite the way his wife clashed with their daughter, Saeko loved their daughter deeply. She just had trouble getting Natsuki to understand that. But, then again, Natsuki just seemed to have trouble understanding what was good for her, like marrying Takeda. Well, that was one little misunderstanding that could be remedied.

--------------

The Kruger crew was crowded into two booths at a restaurant, enjoying their breakfast. There were several conversations going on as they all waited for their food. The restaurant employees had all but burst from happiness when the royal family entered, but they did not make too big a deal about the royals' presences. They just showed all of the princes and their ladies to a pair of tables; Natsuki was, of course, counted among the princes.

"So, what are we going to do after we eat?" Hayate wondered aloud.

"Well, we have to do something that our ladies can do too, right, Nat-kun?" Shuichi remarked while throwing his thick arm over the shoulders of his wife.

Natsuki grinned until she caught the cross look on Nadia's face, which was mirrored in Shizuru's face. The principal then laughed nervously. Her brothers snickered at her; well, Shuichi stopped when he learned that his wife's face was the same as Shizuru's expression.

"He's only playing," Natsuki promised her lover while putting her arm around Shizuru's waist.

"That and I know that Nadia and Shizuru-san aren't going to be interested in the same thing as we are." Shuichi motioned to himself, his brothers, and his sister.

"Okay, I'll let you off of the hook with that one, Shu-kun," Nadia commented while snuggling into her husband's large frame.

"Well, that helps him, but it still doesn't give us anything to do," Kenta pointed out while leaning back in the booth.

"Perhaps going to apologize to your parents would be a good start," Sakura proposed through gritted teeth. Eight sets of eyes rolled at the suggestion.

"Yeah, how about we get some real ideas rolling around because no-damn-body here is going to apologize to them. They don't have any right trying to make Nat-kun feel bad about her desire to marry with Shizuru," Hayate declared with fervor.

"You're going to defend this unnatural relationship?" Rachelle demanded to know.

"Hell, yeah! It's not unnatural to be in love!" Hayate replied with a huff.

"Besides, it's not like being in love has changed Natsuki for the worst. I mean, maybe we would object a little if we thought that Shizuru was not a good match for Natsuki, but we see that she is," Hiroshi added while motioning to Shizuru and smiling at her.

"Plus, we like Shizuru," Koji said, in case someone missed the first time around the declaration was made.

"What exactly do you like about this low-born knave whose relationship can't even produce children?" Leonora demanded to know. She was usually quietly seething to herself, but it would seem that their situation got to her enough for her to vent.

"I would say they have a better chance of producing children than any of your marriages," Shuichi countered, his own protective nature oozing out of his shell.

"Children?" Natsuki gulped. She knew that it was coming up, but every time the subject was broached, she felt like she was hearing the word for the first time.

"Calm down, Nat-kun. I'm not saying that you should go out the second after you get married and have children," Shuichi assured his sister. He knew how she felt all too well. He would never forget how light-headed he felt when Nadia first start talking about having children; he was not sure how he remained conscious.

"You will have children, though, right? I want more nephews and a niece here or there wouldn't be too bad," Hayate requested, imploring the youngest Kruger with an expression that she had never seen before. He was making what Shizuru dubbed "puppy eyes," which was a look that Natsuki used on her when the younger woman wanted something terribly bad.

"You're serious?" Natsuki asked and all of her brothers nodded.

"Ara, ara, it would seem that Natsuki's brothers want her to have a family," Shizuru commented with a teasing smile. She was actually relieved with the way everything was going during breakfast. She was accepted by the Kruger brothers, her relationship with Natsuki was accepted, and best off all, they were pretty much asking one of the major questions going through her mind. She wanted to know when Natsuki would be ready for a real family.

"So, Natsuki, when do you plan on starting a family? Would you have to quit your job? I mean, twenty-six or twenty-seven seems a little early for retirement," Kenta commented.

"I would like to continuing working. I doubt Shizuru would mind. I'm actually one of the less active Otome because of my job as principal," Natsuki replied.

"The job as principal keeps you more active than most Otomes, just in a different manner. Most Otome don't have to worry about regulating peace and negotiating treaties between nations…" Shizuru was going to go on, but a shake of the head from Natsuki stopped her.

"You don't need to explain my position to them. My brothers know all about the job. I think the key issue here is when we're going to have children. I mean, I do want children and I know you do too, but the question is when are we going to make time and have some? If anything, you would have to quit your job," Natsuki informed her lover. She would not be able to stand the thought of her lover going out on dangerous assignments if they had a baby at home. It was tough enough just to let Shizuru leave her for sometimes months, but it would just be impossible to do to a child—for both of them.

Shizuru nodded. "I suppose you're right about that. I have no intention of quitting my job so soon. I know I could easily be given a teaching position, which I wouldn't mind later on, but right now, I like going out on assignments." Of course, she was not much of a fan for leaving Natsuki for months sometimes, but she did like her job.

"Hey, no one's trying to pressure either of you," Hayate assured them.

"Why are you even entertaining this foolish idea? They are two women! They cannot have children...unless there is really something about Natsuki that Shizuru-san would like to tell us," Sakura remarked with a cruel smirk on her face.

"There's not much to tell, except that my Natsuki is beautiful in the nude and wonderful in bed," Shizuru said with her own smile.

"Shizuru!" Natsuki moved to put her hand over Shizuru's mouth to prevent her lover from saying anything else. A crimson flush shot up from the neck of every full-blooded Kruger, going all the way up to the roots of their hair.

"Wow… Way more than I ever needed to know," Koji muttered while shaking his head. He hoped that the words would fall out of his brain and his mind would be able to forget what was said; his brothers were trying the same.

"You've ruined them all, you know," Nadia remarked, speaking to Shizuru.

"They're all so cute when they blush," the tawny-haired Otome commented with an impish glint in her eyes.

"They're all idiots," Rachelle hissed as she rolled her eyes to the Krugers' reactions, or overreactions as she was taking them.

"That's how they are. Too bad you and your lot are too self-absorbed to appreciate them. You couldn't ask for a better lot of siblings. They're loyal and true and want nothing more than to make a person feel comfort, respected, and a lot of times, special. You're too bitter to let the specialness in. What do you even have to be bitter about? You married into one of the most powerful families around this area and yet you're still unhappy. Does it bother you so much to see others happy?" Nadia inquired, genuinely curious. She could not help wondering what made her sisters-in-law tick. If they were as status-conscious as they pretended to be, then they should have been happy where they were, almost at the top. How much more could they want?

"It bothers me when they're doing the wrong thing. Natsuki and Shizuru-san are worse than filth. Women lying with women. What's next? Men with men?" Rachelle demanded to know in a shocked, but stern voice. Her question caught the concern the other in-laws, causing them to gasp and clutch their chests as if they were truly afraid.

"It happens a lot more often than you think," Shizuru informed them, which got the same reaction as Rachelle's rhetorical question.

"If you four ever bothered to leave this blasted piece of nowhere, you might find there's a lot in the world different than what you're used to," Nadia added.

"You dare insult our homelands?" Sakura growled as if she was utterly offended.

"That's not the point," Shuichi said. "The point of the matter is that you have never left home and you don't know what the rest of the world is like. Natsuki and Shizuru can go to dozens of countries that would happily marry them. They can go to dozens more that would marry them, although they might be a little huffy about it. She's saying that if you bothered to learn more about the world at large, you might actually, God forbid, grow as a human being and accept a few things that either don't exist here or are frowned upon here."

"You're only saying that because you bed a foreigner," Paige practically spat in the eldest prince's direction.

"I say this because there is a world beyond Saxas. No, everything that happens in it is not right. No, every place in the world is not better than Saxas, but I'm talking about experiencing other places before judging them. If you've never been anywhere beside Saxas, well, how the fuck do you know it's the best place?" Shuichi inquired. "Now, I've been a few places, some I like and some I don't. I'm partial to my homeland, but I'm not about to shut everything out because it's not from here or not like anything else here."

"Now you're saying we're stupid hicks?" Paige countered.

"I never said that either. It's pointless to argue with you," Shuichi decided and dismissed the frustrating women with a wave of his hand.

He was saved from having to say anything else because their food arrived. Everyone was thankful for the food because it did mean that the conversation could be over. Other conversations started, but no one talked to anyone that they usually would not. After breakfast, the siblings went in search of something to do that would be fun for Nadia and Shizuru too. The other mates just tagged along because they had nothing better to do and it was foreign for them to be out in the city without shopping or dinner being a goal.

--------------

The Kruger clan staggered into the palace, having missed dinner and feeling pretty good about themselves; both might have been influenced by some drinking that they engaged in while they were out. They all managed to make it to their rooms safely and ended the night with no one getting hurt. They even managed to get up the next morning and make it to breakfast…albeit late for all of them.

"It's about time you knuckleheads join us. We have a guest coming, so it wouldn't do for the whole family to be absent upon his arrival," Ryo remarked as his children took their seats. He did not even glance at Natsuki as she pulled out Shizuru's chair for her.

"Guest?" all of the Kruger children mumbled. They hated it when their parents had "surprise" guests over. It never was a good thing.

"Yes, we have a guest coming. He should be here soon," Ryo informed the group.

Before the Kruger offspring were able to ask questions that they knew would not be answered, a servant came in and announced that the guest had arrived. Ryo motioned for the guest to be brought in. The guest was announced again when entering the dining hall. Everyone looked up to greet the newcomer.

Time stood still for Natsuki and Shizuru as they caught sight of the guest. Natsuki face twisted into raw, unhidden rage while Shizuru's usual smile dropped into a genuine pout. Natsuki flew out of her seat before anyone had a chance to do anything and she aimed a butter knife at the guest.

"What the fuck is this bastard doing here?!" Natsuki demanded to know. Standing before them all was Takeda Masashi.

--------------

Next time: so enters Takeda. Will he be able to win over the Kruger clan and get Natsuki back?


	17. Epic fail

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

A/N: This is where the rating goes up, but not for the reason you think. This chapter contains some harsh language.

17: Epic fail

Natsuki was ready to explode…again. She pushed herself from the dinner table, all the while glaring frozen shards at her parents' so-called dinner guest, Takeda Masashi. She was on the verge of charging him and shoving her table knife into his throat, but a surprising hand was holding her back, Shizuru's hand.

"Who the hell told you to come here?" Natsuki demanded to know, screaming at Takeda as if he were her worst enemy. Her eyes were laced with hatred and a vein bulged in her neck, throbbing with deep intensity.

Takeda took a step back because of her tone and the glare. He glanced over to King Ryo and Queen Saeko for help, while wondering why Natsuki was being so hostile toward him. The principal noticed the move and growled like a furious dragon.

"I should have known!" Natsuki's fury turned to her parents. "How dare you invite this son-of-bitch here! You don't have the right! You have no fucking idea what he almost caused!"

A bright red flush conquered all of Natsuki's visible flesh and her chest heaved with each overwhelming breath. Her outrage was so immense that she did not know what to do and the only thing keeping her from going to totally insane was the hand in hers, squeezing tightly, reminding her that things were not so bad. Without warning, tears flooded emerald eyes and raced down pale cheeks.

No one knew what to make of Natsuki's sudden rage and now her tears. No Kruger could recall the last time that they saw Natsuki crying. They were not sure what to expect from her now. They just sat quietly, not wanting to do anything to make matters even worse. Shizuru just held onto her lover's hand even tighter, letting the prinicpal know that she was there for Natsuki.

"No…I guess it's wrong to blame him. He didn't almost cost me Shizuru. That was my own fault," Natsuki realized, speaking in a very low tone.

The raven-haired Otome rushed out of the room, going right past Takeda and she did not even think to touch him. Shizuru wasted no time following her lover while everyone else just looked on like confused statues, unable to move or look away. Takeda even watched them flee for a moment before turning his own bewildered gaze to Kruger family.

"So, Mom, Dad, who the hell is that?" Hayate demanded to know, pointing to the offending male standing in the entrance. The frown on his face let his parents know his opinion of Takeda already, and it seemed to be one that his brothers shared. It was impossible for them to like someone that could stir up such emotions in their baby sister.

"That is the man that is going to marry your sister, so it would do you well to get along with him," Ryo answered with some fire in his voice. He would be damned if he was going to let his children just get away with saying anything that came to mind.

"Marry?" all of the Kruger brothers echoed as if they did not know what such a thing was. All eyes turned to Takeda to size him up as if he was a prized show horse and from the looks of things, he did not make the grade with anyone except for Ryo and Saeko.

"You can't be serious. You can't force Natsuki to marry him when she's got her true love standing right next to her," Hiroshi objected, eyes glaring at his parents.

"With all due respect, but Natsuki-san does love me. We were happily dating for months before her friend Shizuru talked her out of our engagement and then even worked with her to concoct a lie about how they were in love with each other," Takeda countered as if that was the absolute truth. He was met with loud scoffs from the brothers.

"Natsuki is in love with Shizuru! It's not some game or a lie. We've seen them together!" Kenta replied with fervor, resisting the urge to hit the table with his palm.

"Don't go spouting such nonsense, boy," Ryo stated with an edge in his voice.

"It's not nonsense! If you bothered to pay attention, you'd see that your daughter has found the person that makes her happiest and wants to spend the rest of her life with that person! Who gives a fuck if it's a woman if they're both happy?" Kenta spat.

"You watch your mouth, boy," Ryo snarled.

"Dad, he's right, though. We all know that Nat-kun is very happy at the moment. We've seen her with Shizuru and just how they dote on each other. Don't try to ruin the best thing that happened to them because you don't understand how two women can love each other," Koji pled. All of his usual joking and comedic tone was gone; now, he just sounded desperate to help their baby sister, who was so obviously hurt from their parents' actions.

"They don't love each other. Takeda was engaged to Natsuki before Natsuki called off the engagement out of the blue," Ryo informed his sons.

"You can do that?" Kenta asked incredulously. Suddenly, he and three of his older brothers wished that they had thought to do such a thing. They just thought that they had to accept the hand that they were dealt and marry the women that their parents ordered them to marry.

"Did you bother to ask Natsuki why she called off the engagement? Could it have possibly been because she knew it was a mistake and that she loved someone else?" Shuichi demanded to know from his parents. His voice was a growl and his eyes narrowed to slits as he gazed upon his parents. It seemed as if he was on the brink of attacking them for their callous behavior.

"Don't even start with such foolishness. Natsuki more than likely got frightened and backed away as soon as the fear crept into her system," Saeko dismissed her eldest son with a flick of her hand.

"It's easy to think that rather than accept the truth that Natsuki is in love with a woman, isn't it? Well, you may think that, but you should know that it's a lie and you're going to push your daughter away with a stunt like this," Shuichi tried to warn the royal couple.

"She's not going anywhere. Natsuki-chan is going to realize that she didn't want to break her engagement with Takeda and then everything will be fine," Saeko replied easily.

"Are you even listening to yourself, Mom?!" Hayate shouted. He was starting to realize that he and his siblings had not inherited their thick skulls from their father as they always assumed.

"Natsuki isn't going to realize it was a mistake to break her engagement with him. She's going to think it was a mistake to come here and introduce you to love her life. After this, she'll probably stay away from home more often and keep secrets about her life," Hiroshi said with a growl of his own. The last thing he wanted was for their sister to stop coming home and stop including them in her life; none of the Krugers wanted that.

The parents were not hearing any of it, though. They were fairly certain that Natsuki would come to her senses after seeing Takeda and remembering her relationship with him. After all, when Takeda spoke of the relationship, they could hear the love in his voice and the few times that they saw him in person, they noticed that he glowed when speaking about their daughter. Surely, she felt the same way since she had dated him and had been engaged to him. She just needed to remember that.

"Takeda-san, please take a seat. We'll have a servant fetch Natsuki for you when the meal is over," Ryo informed the guest while motioning to one of the many free seats at the long table.

Takeda did not protest and quickly took a seat. He was not too sure what to do while sitting at the table with the Saxas royal family, the oldest reigning family in the region. He kept his eyes down, focusing on the table itself as food was brought it. Even though his eyes never looked up, he knew that the Kruger brothers were glaring at him while their wives were staring at him as if he was some sort of oddity. He did not care about the humiliating circumstances and he was willing to endure it all if he could only convince his beloved Natsuki to give him another chance.

--------------

Shizuru was holding Natsuki while they lay on the bed in Natsuki's bedroom. The principal was clinging to her lover as if she were a raft in rough waters. Her tears had stopped, but she was not ready to pull away just yet.

"Is Natsuki still upset?" Shizuru asked in a whisper while caressing her beloved's back.

"Of course I'm still upset," Natsuki answered.

"Might I ask why that is?"

"Because my parents went behind my back and brought that bastard here."

"Is that all?" Shizuru asked in a thoughtful tone. She wanted to see if there was more behind Natsuki's emotions than what the principal was willing to admit to herself at the moment.

"No. I think I'm more upset with the fact that I thought his presence might hurt you. You seem fine while I just fell apart at the sight of him," Natsuki answered, underlying disgust seeping into her voice.

"It's all right, my Natsuki. Of course, I was hurt by the sight of him, but more for the fact that he reminded me that I almost lost you. I almost lost you because we stopped talking. I never want us to stop talking," Shizuru begged while hugging her lover closer to her.

"I won't let that happen. I'm not going to let anything happen to us and I know you're not too, so we should be all right. I'm glad you didn't break down when you saw him, even though I did."

"Well, my heart did speed up, almost breaking the sound barrier I'm sure," the older woman admitted.

Natsuki pulled away slightly in order to look her love in the face. "What? Why?"

"For a brief moment, I feared that this was all a cruel dream and you really were going to marry Takeda-san," Shizuru confessed.

"Never!" Natsuki's grip on Shizuru increased. "I would never leave you, especially not for him. You're the only one for me and I'm going to marry you, come Hell or High water. We are getting married."

Shizuru smiled. "I'm sure we are."

"We are. Whether my parents like it or not, I am going to marry you. It's on them now to understand because everyone else gets our relationship. Yes, my brothers accept it, which is great. No, my countrymen may not accept, which is too bad. I'm not letting anything—or anyone for that matter—stop me from fulfilling my destinty."

The passion in Natsuki's words and voice overwhelmed Shizuru. She was not sure if there was a way to respond verbally, but talking was overrated anyway, she considered. Instead of saying something, she leaned down and kissed Natsuki for all she was worth. They both had to catch their breath when the older woman pulled away.

"I wonder what I did to deserve someone like Natsuki," Shizuru commented in a low voice.

"You bugged and teased the shit out of me until I couldn't live without you. How the hell that works, I don't know," Natsuki remarked with a lopsided grin.

Shizuru merely pled guilty before going in for another kiss. When she pulled away, she gently cupped Natsuki's face to make sure that they continued eye contact. "I do want to tell you, Natsuki, what happened between us was not solely your fault. It was both of us. We both stopped communicating. You shouldn't try to carry around that burden alone when it's not just yours to bear."

Natsuki nodded because her voice was logged between a couple of lumps in her throat. Shizuru smiled and hugged Natsuki's head to her chest. They were silent for a long moment before the princess spoke up.

"I can't believe my parents did this. They know how I feel about that man, even if they don't believe in our relationship. I told them that I can't stand him, yet they care so little for me that they would invite him here and try to push him on me while you're right in front of them. Cold-hearted bastards!" Natsuki hissed.

"Natsuki! They are your parents. Do not say such things about them," Shizuru scolded her lover. Yes, she understood that Natsuki was upset, but she could not stand to hear such words when she knew that Natsuki's parents, though misguided, loved her very much.

"They're trying to split us up!" Natsuki reminded the tawny-haired Otome.

"They didn't do this to be mean or cruel, I'm sure. This is their way of trying to help you. Yes, it's the wrong way, but they don't know that. They think they're returning the great love of your life."

"If they were listening to me at all at any point in time since we got here, they would know that YOU are the great love of my life. Don't defend their actions, Shizuru. They are wrong and they were wrong to do this."

Shizuru swallowed down her words, not wanting to make her fiancée any angrier than she was already. There were two ways to look at the situation, she mentally conceded. She wanted to look at the brighter side because she did not want to cause a rift between Natsuki and her family. Watching everything between the Krugers hurt Shizuru's heart considerably. Her relationship with her own parents was so different from Natsuki's relationship with her parents and she really wished that she had considered that when she demanded this trip.

"I think I've done more harm than good for my own peace of mind…" Shizuru thought while clutching Natsuki like a security blanket, hoping to feel as if she did not make a mistake by wanting to come to Saxas.

"Are you all right, Shizuru?" Natsuki asked.

"I…I…"

"You can tell me, love." The tone was so soothing that Shizuru had no choice in opening up.

"I wonder if this is all my fault. You wouldn't have to go through this if I hadn't insisted on meeting your family—" Shizuru was cut off.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! This isn't your fault at all! You needed to come here and I'm happy you did. You met my brothers and they all love you! I'm sure they'll be more than happy to attend our wedding, so it's not like it was a wasted trip and you found out everyone hated you or anything. Hell, my parents even adored you until they found out the nature of our relationship and even now I'm not sure they hate you. They just don't understand this, so there's nothing for you to apologize about. My family likes you. We just need to get my parents to accept that this is how things are going to be. You were fine for my friend, so now we have to make them believe that you'll be fine as my wife," Natsuki explained in a near-rush to make sure that she got it all out.

"Won't Natsuki's brothers like Takeda-san? Natsuki did at one time…"

"Well, yeah, they might like him, as a hang-out buddy. That doesn't mean that they would approve of me marrying him. They like you and I'm pretty sure that they like us. They were defending us, after all. They know we're in love and they accept that. I doubt they'll chuck that all out just because Takeda is a man and they can hang out with him."

The Third column was silent as she considered her lover's words. The Kruger brothers had been extremely supportive of their engagement and they did not seem like the type to totally flip-flop on issues. In fact, they seemed to be as stubborn as their "baby brother." That had to be a good thing.

"Crisis averted? Doubt quelled?" Natsuki asked because she felt Shizuru relaxing against her again.

"Yes, ouji-sama."

A smile curled onto the raven-haired woman's lips. "Yeah, I guess you are all better if you can tease me."

"I'm not teasing. I do enjoy that title. I think it suits you."

Natsuki grinned like an idiot; Shizuru liked her title. Shizuru could not help leaning down to place another gentle kiss to Natsuki's lips because of the principal's expression. They both then took a calming breath.

"So, are we both fine?" Natsuki inquired before placing her own kiss to Shizuru's chin.

"I think we are both very fine. Shall we rejoin the gang at dinner?" Shizuru countered.

"No. I was rather hoping that we could take a long bath and then cuddle for the rest of the night. We can face the family tomorrow."

"Ah, my Natsuki, the cuddle-machine."

The princess did the rather undignified thing of sticking her tongue out at her love. This action promoted Shizuru to come in for another fiery kiss. They eventually did make it to the bathroom to have their bath. The night was spent caressing and cuddling, but they were both too emotionally exhausted to do anything else.

-----(Next day)

Natsuki and Shizuru made an appearance for breakfast. They were not surprised to find Takeda sitting at the table, but he did not appear as comfortable as they expected. The way that he was staring at the floor while trying to keep himself from hunching over and possibly crawling underneath the table let them know that he was nervous. They knew that was more from being in the presence of royalty than anything else.

Takeda happened to glance up and notice the couple. He rushed out of his chair, making it scrape against the floor and called forth a shriek from the tile, which caused the Queen and the sisters-in-law to cringe. Takeda moved to where he thought that Natsuki was going to be sitting down since she was pulling out the chair.

"Please, allow me," Takeda begged and he tugged at the chair in the princess' grip.

"That's all right. I got it," Natsuki growled.

"Please, I insist!" Tanned knuckles were turning white from the struggle.

"Natsuki," Shizuru said in a soothing tone. "Let the gentleman do it."

"Are you sure?" Natsuki asked while Takeda looked up curiously. He could not believe that home-wrecking wrench, as he mentally referred to Shizuru, was helping him with his beloved.

"I'm positive."

Natsuki shrugged and released the chair. Takeda smiled from his victory, even if it was a small one. He pulled out the chair and was surprised when Shizuru sat down. A scarred jaw practically hit the floor while Natsuki took the time to push Shizuru up to the table before taking the seat next to her fiancée.

"Thanks for the help," Natsuki commented when she saw how flabbergasted the guest appeared to be.

"I thought you were sitting there," Takeda muttered.

"Nope."

Takeda pouted, noticing that he could not even sit next to the object of his affection now. Natsuki was sitting between Shizuru and Kenta. Takeda dragged himself back to the seat that he occupied previously.

Breakfast began shortly after and was quiet and tense, like all Kruger meals. Takeda's presence increased the already almost tangible tension of the room. The Kruger siblings could not get away from the table fast enough when breakfast was over. They retreated to a corner outside where they could talk in private; it was just the siblings on their own.

"Okay, baby bro, what do you want us to do about this guy that obviously pisses you off?" Koji inquired while Hayate was already cracking his knuckles.

"It's okay, guys. I was a little out of control last night. I talked things over with Shizuru and I don't really have hard feelings against Takeda. Yes, he gets on my nerves, and, yes, he doesn't understand that I don't love him, but I don't want you guys to hurt him…yet anyway. This isn't really his fault. He wouldn't have been here if it wasn't for Mom and Dad," Natsuki reminded her brothers.

"This is true," Hiroshi conceded.

"But, we don't want this guy causing and unnecessary stress between you and Shizuru. You really seemed to hate him last night and you said he almost cost you Shizuru. We don't want that to happen again," Shuichi pointed out.

Natsuki nodded and then suddenly grinned. "Have I ever told you guys that you're the best? I mean, despite the fact that I'm in a relationship with another woman and that's pretty much unheard of around here, you guys are still sticking with me, even with a guy that wants to marry me showing up."

"It's not about if the person you marry is a man or a woman. It's about you being happy. Shizuru makes you happy," Kenta pointed out, smiling in a very sincere manner.

Natsuki nodded again. "That she does."

"Then that's all the matters," Hiroshi assured her. "So, we have to get this Takeda person to understand that you're taken and his presence isn't welcomed around here."

"We should all probably talk to Mom and Dad too. I know they're worried about you, but all of this sneaky, underhanded stuff that they've been doing lately is really pushing things," Shuichi stated.

There was a round of nods. They returned to the palace and sent a servant for Takeda. The brothers also sent Natsuki away, saying they wanted to be alone with Takeda to help get their point across. The principal went to find her lover, who was having tea in the garden with Nadia. Natsuki slipped up behind Shizuru, placed a gentle kiss to her cheek, and then eased into a chair that magically appeared; actually, a servant brought the chair out so quickly that it seemed to appear out of thin air.

"You're not out with the boys, Nat-kun?" Nadia asked with a teasing smirk.

"I wasn't invited," Natsuki answered with a shrug.

"Oh. They're out interrogating Takeda-san?" Nadia's smirk turned sinister.

Natsuki shrugged. "I guess that's what you would consider it."

"Well, whatever their verdict, you're marrying Shizuru. I like her and my vote is the only one that matters!" Nadia declared in a voice that made her seem serious, but the grin betrayed it all.

"Well, if I get a vote, I would like to vote for me too," Shizuru commented with a smile of her own.

"You know you do." Natsuki grabbed Shizuru's hand and kissed her knuckles.

Nadia's expression morphed once again, turning into a wholesome smile. She wanted this marriage for Natsuki because she could see how well the couple got along. She could see how happy Shizuru made Natsuki due to the sparkle that never left emerald eyes. They were supposed to be together.

The trio sat there, conversing with each other, taking turns embarrassing each other with all sorts of stories (a couple of times Shizuru and Nadia feared Natsuki's head would explode from all of the blushing), and teasing each other. They paused when they heard the rambunctious noise that let them know the "boys" were back. They noted as the noise drew closer, the fellas did not sound as happy as one would expect when they all went out.

"What a fucking idiot!" Hayate was heard roaring.

"I get the feeling that this wasn't one of their happier play-dates," Nadia remarked as the trio watched the doorway, waiting for the brothers to emerge.

"Who the fuck does that? Really? Who the fuck?!" Kenta screamed. They were close enough for the trio to see he was pulling at his hair as if that would give him some general understanding as to what happened. He also had a limp, which they were sure was not there when he left.

"I can't wait to hear this one," Natsuki said as her brothers dropped in, chairs coming from all directions as they flopped down. Shuichi shared a chair with Nadia, standing her up for a moment to take her seat and then pulling her back down to sit on his lap.

"So, how was your morning?" Nadia asked, even though the ladies could guess. They could only wonder what happened to put such hard, hateful, angry expressions on all of the brothers' faces.

Koji started the tale. "We decided to take that spiky-haired fuck-head to hang out. See if he was even worthy of thinking that he could marry baby bro, you know?"

"We figured we'd go jet-skiing since we haven't gotten to do that shit yet, right?" Hayate chimed in, sounding just as pissed as his older brother did.

"This can't be good since every sentence is ending in a question," Nadia muttered.

Kenta picked up the story now. "Now, you'd figure a motherfucker would say some shit like not being able to swim before getting into a fucking lake, right?"

"Added to that!" Hiroshi suddenly boomed in, face flush. "You'd think a motherfucker would mention that he's never been jet-skiing before we put him on this fucking machine, right?"

"So, listen to what this motherfucker does," Shuichi said. By now it was pretty clear that Takeda was going to be referred to as "motherfucker" through out the story. "This motherfucker doesn't say a damn thing when we go out onto the lake and get on our jet-skis. Now, we go out in nothing but trunks because we all know how to fucking swim and swim well in the damn lake. This ignorant motherfucker says nothing about needing a fucking life-jacket, you know, just in case he falls off of the fucking thing. He fakes it like he knows exactly what the fuck he's doing as he gets on and we all speed off. Now, it doesn't take a fucking rocket scientist to figure out how to make the thing go, so this motherfucker blazes off at top speed. We wouldn't have given a fuck about that if it wasn't for the next brilliant piece of shit that he does."

"This motherfucker actually crashed into Kenta!" Hayate hollered while motioning to the youngest brother. As soon as that was said, the brothers' expressions actually became more hateful.

The ladies took the pause in the story to focus on Kenta. They did not see any indication that he was in the middle of an accident…until he propped his left leg up on the table and they found out why he had been walking with a limp. Grimaces hit the ladies' faces like baseball bats as a long gash with stitches in it greeted them.

"Spent most of the fucking morning getting the stitches put in," Kenta grumbled and rolled his eyes.

"But, the story doesn't end there!" Koji bellowed in a rage.

The eldest brother resumed telling the bulk of the tale. "No, because Kenta actually had to move to avoid getting killed. Thank the gods for his fucking sharp reflexes and only his leg got cut. His jet-ski was fucked, though! Now, this motherfucker is not done with his tricks after almost killing Kenta. Oh, no! This motherfucker has other ways to fuck up. He loses control of the fucking jet-ski and almost rams Hiroshi, who has to jump off his damned jet-ski to avoid getting fucked up, and then he almost hits Hayate, who would have been hurt worse than Kenta if he hadnt stopped his fucking thing just in time. Maybe he was going for the full fucking set or something, fuck if I know, but he's not done there. The motherfucker finally falls off of the jet-ski, which immediately zooms off to the shore and takes out a tree while the dumb motherfucker is drowning."

"He didn't make it?" Or so Natsuki hoped. Sure, she might not blame him for almost ruining her relationship with Shizuru, but he was still an annoying ass.

"It gets better as he proceeds to try to kill me and Onii-sama next!" Koji declared while throwing his hands up in the air.

Shuichi motioned between himself and Koji. "We swam out save him when we figured out that the motherfucker couldn't swim. He wouldn't stop flailing around like a scared goat. You think the motherfucker would have learned not to panic in all of his fancy guard training. He slapped Koji in the face a couple of times until Koji just swam away."

"I was all for letting the stupid motherfucker drown at that point!" Koji proclaimed quite seriously. Hey, the motherfucker almost killed all of them, injured his little brother, and left bruises on him!

"We had to let the idiot motherfucker flop around until he exhausted himself before I could pull him out of the water. By the time we got to shore, everybody else had already called help. Kenta was getting his stitches and everything, but I think it's fair to say that he's not marrying you," Shuichi informed his sister. There was no way that they were going to even entertain that idea. They were not even going to let their parents continue to entertain that idea.

"That's good to know since I already promised to marry Shizuru," Natsuki remarked. A smile did grace her features because she was glad that Takeda had made such a horrible impression and her brothers did not like him. She was not sure how she would have managed if her brothers wanted to be friends with Takeda.

Before they could continue the conversation, all of their attention turned to the doorway. Frowns went around the table as Takeda stepped out into the garden. He was limping and had a sheepish look on his face, undoubtedly embarrassed from the misadventure that morning. Still, he did not seem to take the hint of the collective expressions.

"Hello, everyone," Takeda greeted them and then he made a request that shocked everyone. "Natsuki-san, can I speak to you in private?" All eyes turned to Natsuki for the answer to that question.

--------------

Next time: what does Takeda want to talk about and will Natsuki even give him the time of day?


	18. Fold

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

18: Fold

Natsuki blinked hard while trying to process what she had just been asked. Takeda, her ex-boyfriend/fiancé, wanted to talk to her in private. She could only wonder why since she was certain that they did not have anything to talk about, which explained why she looked so confused. She did not even notice that all eyes were on her, waiting for her answer.

"Why in the hell would I agree to talk to you in private?" Natsuki inquired. What the hell did they have to talk about, aside for the fact that he had just nearly killed all of her brothers?

"Because it's important," Takeda answered as if it was obvious, but he did not seem to have the courage to lift his head and look her in the eyes while saying it.

"I don't have anything to say to you and I really don't think you have anything to say to me," Natsuki replied.

"If we're going to get married—" Takeda was all but cut off at the neck when those words left his mouth.

"The hell I am marrying you! We went through this shit! I love Shizuru and I am marrying Shizuru! Stop being so fucking delusional or feeding into whatever bullshit my parents are telling you! I wouldn't marry you if you were the last man on the planet!" Natsuki proclaimed as a bright red flush invaded her face.

"Natsuki-san…" Takeda was at a loss for words. He rubbed the back of his neck and an uneasy fashion while keeping eye contact with the ground.

Natsuki suddenly shot up from her seat, surprising everyone. She marched over to the tanned guest while everyone wondered if she was going to hit him; or skip the formalities altogether and devour him, soul and all. She yanked him by the collar and dragged him away from the gawking crowd.

"I say she uses some kick-ass Otome powers to beat his ass," Hayate guessed with an absolutely wicked grin on his face.

"One can only hope," Hiroshi muttered while shaking his head. He certainly did hope that Natsuki beat that idiot's brains in.

--------------

Natsuki pulled Takeda to a deserted corner deep in the garden and slammed him against a tree before releasing him. He was not sure what to make of the rough treatment, but he was glad that they were alone. He was finally able to look up, but he did not like the sight that greeted him. Natsuki was fuming so badly that he could almost see smoke coming out of her head.

"Natsuki-san—" He did not make it past her name before her finger was in his face.

"Listen to me now!" Natsuki commanded in a low, threatening snarl. "We are never getting married. Do you understand that? Never! I don't care what my parents told you and I don't care what you've grown to believe would happen since we broke up, but we're never getting married!"

"Your parents—" Once again his speech was cut off at the knees, ended before it could even begin.

Her voice was harsh as she interrupted him. "Fuck what my parents told you. They don't make my decisions, I do! I am a grown woman and I've been on my own for over ten years now. I don't need my parents' permission to do a goddamn thing, so don't stand here and tell me that my parents gave you permission to marry me. You don't need their permission. You need mine and you damn sure won't get it."

Takeda flinched as the words bombarded him like a hail of gunfire. "Who would you marry then?"

"I'm marrying Shizuru! I know you're not this stupid. You're just pretending that you don't understand," she accused him.

"How can you marry her? She's a woman and so are you. Women don't marry each other."

"Maybe not around here, but in some parts of the world, you might be surprised to find that it's perfectly all right for two people that love each other to eventually marry each other, regardless of gender. You should get used to that since you're the guardian of Kyoko. One day she's going to be calmly telling you about what happened in her day and it's going to include something along the lines of two of her classmates getting together or even deeper than that. If you react in the same way as this, she'll get you removed from her service. So, you need to open your mind," she warned him.

"No one is this open-minded! You know for a fact that this isn't right!"

"I know for a fact that you're either fucking deaf or fucking stupid. I'm betting on the latter. I'm not even going to bother with you anymore. You're a fucking moron and if you say anything to me again, I won't be responsible for my actions, especially since you tried to kill my brothers," Natsuki informed him in a deadly serious voice and she turned to walk away.

"Natsuki, wait!" The insult of forgetting to add the honorific to her name was accompanied by the mistake that would lead to a horrible injury. Takeda grabbed the princess by the arm.

Natsuki turned around in a flash. Before Takeda was aware of her reaction, his back was slammed harshly against the nearest wall. Natsuki snarled in his face like a lion ready to take the lethal bite while he cried out in pain.

"You don't fucking touch me! Who the fuck do you think you are?" Natsuki pulled back, only to slam him into the wall again, harder than the first time. "Just who the fuck do you think you are?! Do you think I won't fly you out there and toss you back in that fucking lake?! Never touch me again!"

The Otome flung the guest to the side and marched off, not bothering to see if he was all right. Takeda lay bleeding from his nose and eyebrow in a thorn bush while she went past her brothers, past her lover, and out of the garden. The group just watched her go.

"Should we…?" Kenta asked, pointing in the direction that their sister had vanished.

"Ara, ara, not with that angry face," Shizuru answered. She knew that Natsuki needed a moment to get herself together before she would want to see anyone or talk to anyone.

"You know what, I say we go in there and beat on that idiot's ass right now. I don't know what he did to Nat-kun, but all that screaming couldn't be a good thing," Hayate commented. They had not been able to make out what the yelling was, but they knew their sister's voice.

"It's tempting," Hiroshi agreed while glancing back in the direction that they knew Takeda was located.

"Well, when the most civil amongst us agrees with the violent suggestion…" Koji trailed off and all of the brothers rose halfway from their seats.

"Sit, all of you," Nadia commanded. She got instant results. Glancing at Shizuru, she smiled. "It's a trick I'm sure you'll learn soon enough. They're like a hive-mind; control one and you control them all."

"Nadia," Shuichi sighed.

"Look, I know you guys want to go and rip Takeda apart, which I can respect, but you have to remember that this isn't about Takeda. This is about Natsuki and her being able to marry the person that she loves. Figure out how to help her in that manner rather than worrying about how to beat Takeda's brains in. I'm sure Natsuki can see to that matter herself if it's really necessary," Nadia calmly pointed out.

"Why the hell did you marry someone's that always right?" Hayate asked the eldest Kruger.

Shuichi chuckled a bit. "She's sexy as hell, especially when she's right."

"Sweet talk, my dear, will get you nowhere. You have to figure out how to help Natsuki get through to your parents, who, in their own misguided way, want the best for her," Nadia reminded everyone.

"Takeda is hardly the best," Hiroshi argued.

"No, but he's the one man that they know Natsuki shown interest in. You guys should know that your parents think that Natsuki needs a man to take care of her, emotionally speaking. Your country's customs say that everyone woman should have a husband and man should have a wife, not for most reasons that people think, but for their emotional wellbeing. Your parents are worried about her emotional wellbeing. They don't think that Shizuru can offer Natsuki the balance and support that a man would. You need to figure out how to show them otherwise," Nadia informed them.

"And how do you propose we do that? Shouldn't this be something that Shizuru has to do?" Kenta asked. It made more sense to him that Shizuru just show their parents that she was more than capable to support Natsuki because the proof would be coming straight from the source. For him, that would be almost impossible to argue against.

"Right now, you guys are the most creditable sources because you're family. Yes, it is Shizuru's case, but your parents don't know Shizuru like they know you. You guys have to figure out a way to break through to them," Nadia explained.

She would have gone on speaking, but clammed up as soon as she noticed Takeda slinking toward them. His shoulders were slumped and his head was down. They all growled as he stood before them, looking pathetic and lost. No one even cared that he was bleeding or had a giant knot forming on his forehead. In fact, the Kruger brothers were cheering internally and hoped that their sister knocked some sense into the guy.

"What do you want?" Hayate snarled like a heated animal. He looked utterly disgusted with Takeda's presence; his brothers had similar expressions.

"I was hoping that you would give me advice on how to win your sister over," Takeda informed them. The response was a round of laughter.

"We would never tell you how to win baby bro!" Koji declared. The laughing smile was instantly off of his face and replaced with a stone-cold glare. Takeda took a step back and gulped, fearing that he might be on the wrong end of yet another angry Kruger.

"We don't want you to marry Nat-kun," Hiroshi informed the guest with disdain lacing in his voice like a poison.

"We don't even want you talking to her," Kenta added.

"Hell, right now, I'm not in favor of you saying her name," Shuichi said while rising from his seat. He towered above Takeda, causing the spiky-haired guard to gulp again. "Listen carefully because I'm only going to say this once. Our parents think they control our lives, but they don't. They're trying to control Natsuki right now by getting her to marry you, which she won't. She's marrying Shizuru, come Hell or High Water. So, why don't you go back to the farm you came from and forget all about her before I'm forced to snap you in half for her? Although, it looks like she might get to it before I do."

"Natsuki loves me," Takeda defiantly proclaimed. Apparently, the blood and the knots came from love taps, the group all thought. Could Takeda be serious? Was he really that delusional?

"Natsuki loathes you!" Shizuru shrieked, leaping out of her chair in an undignified manner. She was not sure what came over her, but there was something about the way he just claimed that her Natsuki loved him.

"You did this!" Takeda growled as he turned his attention to the Otome, not knowing that he was one move away from being on the business end of Shizuru's naginata.

"You're a fool. You march in here all caviler, thinking that you're going to break up a relationship that's been going on for over ten years! Natsuki has been mine since she was fifteen and you think that she's just going to throw it all away because her parents want her to? You're a fool!" Shizuru said, as much for herself as for him. Now, she realized how foolish she was to worry that Natsuki would not want her, would cast her aside for her parents wishes. They had ten long, beautiful years together, and she knew that they wanted so much more. She could just feel it in her heart, so Takeda was not even worth it because he was not going to get anything from her lover, except maybe a few more knots. Yet, she pressed on with him because he was such an upsetting bug.

"You're manipulating her! She loved me until you came along!" Takeda argued.

"You're wrong. She valued your friendship. You merely came along at a time when our relationship had hit a low. We both said things and left things unsaid, which ended up driving us apart for a little while. She retreated to hanging out with you and at first she was friends with you, but you idiotically took it for something more. Her relationship with you was barely existent and then you forced an engagement on her that she didn't want by cowardly going behind her back and asking her father for her hand instead of asking her first to find out her answer. I think it's because you knew what her answer would have been if you gave her the chance. She would have told you no and you know it," Shizuru said harshly. She did not care how cold and cruel she seemed right now. She wanted him to know that Natsuki was hers and that he needed to move on.

Takeda tensed and made a tight fist as his body trembled with rage. "She accepted my ring," he stated through gritted teeth.

Shizuru was not fazed by his changes and continued on as coldly as she could without freezing the whole garden. "No, you pushed the ring onto her finger. She didn't accept anything from you. Now, I, on the other hand, have her ring on my finger. She asked me and waited for an answer. After I responded, she let me call my parents to tell them the news. Only after conversing with me did my father want to speak with her. It didn't happen the other way around, like with you. You don't deserve Natsuki."

"You can't do anything for her. You're just a woman!" Takeda countered, rudely gesturing to her with a violent wave of his hand.

"I think you mean just a woman that can kick your ass," Hayate chimed in, sick of the balls that the scarred man had. "Where the fuck do you get off talking to people like that?" he demanded to know.

"This woman cost me my beloved Natsuki once already!" Takeda replied in a fury.

Shizuru snarled in a manner that would have made a lion run for cover, and the Kruger brothers took a step back. "She is not yours! Natsuki is mine! MINE!" The air around her seemed to pop and crackle. She held her hand as if she was about to materialize and there was a ghost image of her naginata flickering in and out.

The Otome was aware that she was losing control, but she could not help it. This was the man that almost took Natsuki from her and now seemed to think that he had some claim to her fiancée, the woman that she had dreams of marrying for almost as long as they had been together. The gall of him! For everything! Natsuki was hers! Natsuki was…

Shizuru suddenly dashed off, running in the direction that Natsuki left in. The crowd watched her go for a moment, everyone confused. It then clicked that Shizuru was going to Natsuki…well, it clicked to everyone except for Takeda.

"How can you take her side? You must know that your sister needs a man in her life!" Takeda pled to the brothers, thinking that they might understand.

"For one, we actually like Shizuru since she hasn't almost killed the lot of us in one outing," Hiroshi deadpanned. Call them crazy, but almost killing them was not the best way to endear one's self to them.

"The second thing is, do you like being a home-wrecker?" Koji inquired with a curious look on his face. "Because I have a few homes you could wreck, but this one, you're not touching, no matter what our parents lead you to believe."

"Why? You don't want happiness for your sister?" Takeda challenged them. Apparently, he was at a point where he thought he knew better than anyone, they thought. All he really knew was that he loved Natsuki and she loved him at one point in time; she just needed to be reminded of that.

"We do, which is why we would never allow you to marry her," Shuichi informed the smaller male.

"So, you're all allotted happy relationships, but you damn your sister?" Takeda demanded to know. He was now puffing out his chest, as if he was in charge of what was going on. He was a bit taken aback by the loud scoffs that were their responses.

"Our parents don't know shit about creating happy relationships outside of their own, so we damn sure aren't going to trust their judgment on you," Kenta snorted. He could not figure out how two people, who were obviously in love and happy with each other like his parents were, could screw up on matchmaking like they did all the time. He was pretty sure that they did not even try when it came to marrying off their sons.

"Yeah, so we're going to make sure you don't go anywhere near Natsuki and wreck things for her, even if we have to break your fucking legs to do it," Shuichi informed Takeda and the hard glint in his emerald eyes showed that he meant business. Breaking legs would just be the start of things, but the brothers were going to keep Takeda away from their baby sister.

--------------

"Natsuki!" Shizuru cried as she flung herself into Natsuki's back. The principal was standing at the foot of the lake. The shorter woman grunted when the pressure hit her back, but she turned around immediately to embrace her fiancée.

"Shizuru?" Natsuki held her lover tighter as Shizuru wept into her shoulder.

"Please, Natsuki, stay with me always," the older Otome begged.

"Of course, Shizuru. Why would you think otherwise?" Natsuki asked, but she did not receive an answer. She growled. "Takeda did something, didn't he?"

"I don't want you to end up leaving me for a man…"

"I won't, Shizuru. You have to know I won't leave you for Takeda. Dating him was a mistake, but we corrected it. Look, I don't want to stay here if it's bothering you like this," Natsuki said. After all, Shizuru was acting very much unlike herself and Natsuki knew that it had to do with the environment.

"It's not…" Shizuru tried to lie.

"It is and my parents aren't going to stop. They'll keep Takeda here for as long as I am here, hoping that I'll change my mind. If not with him, then they'll just keep bringing guys here. So, let's just go back home. The semester starts in a couple of weeks and I do have some work to catch up on," Natsuki said. She was offering Shizuru an acceptable excuse, hoping that her lover would take the bait.

Shizuru really wanted to argue, but being in Saxas, watching Natsuki's parents send in suitor after suitor for her love was taking its toll. Hearing about the customs of the land and how they thought that a husband was necessary for the emotional wellbeing of a woman was starting to get to her. She could feel it all internally, shredding her insides now. If things persisted, she feared that Natsuki's parents might luck out and find a man that Natsuki did find interesting; they almost got close with Takeda. Right now, it was just too much to bear.

"I'm sorry, Natsuki. I know how rare it is for you to be with all of your brothers at one time," Shizuru muttered.

Natsuki rubbed her girlfriend's back, soothing her nerves. "It's fine. They'll understand and I know we'll see them at the wedding. So, let's get ready to go home. I miss our apartment anyway."

"Your brothers…think they'll be upset with me?"

"They'll understand, Shizuru. I promise you. We shouldn't have to play psychological warfare with my parents in order to get married." Natsuki kissed Shizuru's neck, hoping that would drive home the point.

Shizuru eventually nodded in agreement; she really needed to get out of Saxas before she ended up going homicidal on Takeda. Natsuki was of like mind on that matter. They both knew how bad it would look to kill a guest of the King and Queen. Natsuki knew that she would never hear the end of it once her parents found out that she hit Takeda a few times.

"So, let's go bid my brothers farewell and start packing. I'll handle getting us off this island," Natsuki proposed and her lover nodded her agreement.

The couple marched off back in the direction that they came from before. They found the Kruger brothers still arguing with Takeda, so they decided to leave them to that. They would find the crew later, after packing, and arranging for their departure.

--------------

Dinner was served on time, but the Kruger offspring were absent. Also missing was Nadia and Shizuru, but all of the other spouses were seated as usual and Takeda was still there too, bandaged up now. He came up with the excuse that his bumps, bruises, and cuts were from his earlier outting on the jet skis when asked about them. Ryo and Saeko frowned as they looked down their table; their children were much later than usual.

"Go get them," Ryo commanded a servant that was standing right next to him.

The servant bolted off, but found it unnecessary to leave the dining hall. The Kruger siblings, Nadia, and Shizuru entered the hall together. There was not the usual boisterous spirit that accompanied them, but more of a somber aura. An aura of separation that the parents knew all too well, but they decided not to react until they knew for sure what was going on and who was leaving.

"Mom, Dad," Natsuki started as she stepped forward. "Sorry that we're all late, but Shizuru and I won't be staying for dinner."

"What do you mean?" Saeko inquired, a frown already settling onto her face.

"We're leaving, tonight, right now actually," Natsuki announced.

"What do you mean you're leaving? You can't just leave!" the Queen objected as she shot up from her seat.

"We can just leave. We're doing it right now," the principal countered in her strongest tone.

"How are you leaving? What about your future and what about your husband?" Ryo demanded as he stood up too.

"I don't have a husband. This is the problem: you guys haven't accepted that I'm engaged and marrying Shizuru. She is going to be my wife and we'll be happy together. It's really that simple. When you guys figure that out, look me up," Natsuki declared.

"Now, wait a minute, what about the scandal that will bring our family?" the Queen shouted.

"I'll renounce my title if that makes you feel any better. If Shizuru isn't welcomed here, in this house, in this country, then I don't want to be here," the princess informed her parents.

"You can't do that! You will inherit all that is yours!" her mother ordered. Natsuki was technically her heir. She was going to pass on her title and property to her daughter. Why did Natsuki not understand that everything her mother was doing was out of love, out of wanting the best for the younger woman? Saeko could not figure out why her daughter just did not understand she wanted the best for Natsuki.

"Then just accept Shizuru and be done with it! I'm not marrying anyone but her!" Natsuki countered.

"Don't argue, baby bro. Just say your goodbyes and let us go with you to the docks," Koji urged the youngest Kruger.

Natsuki sighed, knowing her brother was correct. "Goodbye, Mom, and Dad. I hope to see you guys at the wedding."

"We're going to ride with Natsuki to the dock," Shuichi reported and they all turned to leave without caring what their parents were yelling behind them.

The Krugers rode their motorcycles to the docks. It was the only time in the visit that they got to ride their heavy bikes together; they wished that they did not wait so long for it since it was their favorite collective activity. It was a bittersweet ride, of course, since their crew was breaking apart again.

Shizuru rode with Natsuki while Nadia rode with Shuichi. The siblings blazed down the paths as if their ride was choreographed. The siblings were totally in sync with each other, dipping along side each other, popping wheelies, passing each other, and all other types of antics. Shizuru and Nadia just held on tight, not fearing anything, but at ease as they were able to feel the Krugers happiness, control, and contentment. It was impossible to be frightened while with them at the moment.

--------------

"How could she just leave like that?" Saeko huffed as she glared at the doorway that her offspring just exited from. Of course, they had not stopped when she ordered them to because Kruger equaled hardheaded and they never listened.

"Calm down," Ryo said to his wife as he put his hand on he shoulder. He was frowning in the direction that the siblings bolted in. He motioned for servants to follow them, even though he knew that their kids would easily lose the servants.

"Calm down? Our daughter just marched out of the country because she wants to marry a woman! She doesn't care what kind of scandal it brings to you! She wants to just throw everything away! She doesn't even want to give us grandchildren!" Saeko shouted, breaking down as tears poured from her eyes.

Ryo sighed and embraced his queen. He wished that mother and daughter communicated better or understood each more, just to avoid moments like this. He wished that their daughter could just understand they were trying to do what was best for her. Natsuki, like her brothers, was just so damned stubborn and hardheaded.

"We'll let her calm down and try to talk to her again later. She's actually easier to talk to over the phone," Ryo stated. Natsuki was less likely to hang up or walk away when on the phone; he was not sure why.

"But, she'll be gone by then. We should have her back here, so she can find a proper husband," Saeko huffed and cried more. Her husband held her tighter.

"We can't push just yet. You know how your kids get when you start pushing," Ryo reminded her. Saeko nodded and buried her head as deeply as she could to muffle her cries; she did not have any plans to talk anymore. Ryo sighed and wondered if their kids ever realized just how much they hurt their parents, their mother especially.

--------------

"It was good to see you, baby bro," Koji said to Natsuki as they all stood on the dock in front of the ship that would carry Natsuki and Shizuru back to where they felt they belonged.

"You know I had a lot of fun seeing you guys too," Natsuki said.

"Thanks for trusting us enough to bring Shizuru along finally. Don't forget about us when you marry her," Hiroshi ordered.

Natsuki beamed. "You know I won't. Hell, I've got to have you guys by my side. We're going to need someone to balance out the millions of people that will be there for Shizuru. Aside for you guys, I don't have anyone," she reminded them.

"You have Nao," Shizuru teased.

"The hell I do!" Natsuki snorted. "Guys, I'll definitely call you with all of the plans and developments. Shizuru would have my ass if I didn't. After all, she likes you guys as much as I do."

"That's great. It's good to have another sister. Now, Nadia has someone to keep her company," Hayate joked.

There were some weak laughs all around. The Krugers bid Natsuki farewell in the same manner they had greeted her—tight, bear-hugs and heavy-handed pats on the back. Shizuru was given more tame hugs. Nadia was the only one to hug both Natsuki and Shizuru in the same manner. The couple then had to board the ship or they would end up flying home; they would probably beat their luggage if they flew.

"I'm sorry about my parents," Natsuki apologized as she and Shizuru stood on deck, watching the island of Saxas disappear from sight.

"It's all right. I'm happy to have met them. Now, I just hope that one day they can accept us. After all, I make Natsuki happy, right?" Shizuru asked, as if she did not know, but the smile on her face let on that she knew that and more.

"You make Natsuki extremely happy, especially if you do all of the planning with the wedding," Natsuki gave a lopsided grin to drive home request.

Shizuru could not help giggling. "I wouldn't want to burden Nat-kun with women's work." Natsuki's response was to stick her tongue out at Shizuru, which surprisingly earned her a kiss and a hug. Natsuki thought about how she could not wait to be married to the woman in her arms.

--------------

Next time: with the wedding approaching, the Kruger brothers try to talk some sense into their father while Natsuki tries to talk to her mother by phone. When Saeko hangs up on Natsuki, does it mean all is lost between mother and daughter?


	19. It's time

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

19: It's time

"Hey, dog, what's this I hear about you not planning anything in your own wedding?" Nao inquired as she just walked right into Natsuki's office.

The principal craned an eyebrow and looked at the door, expecting something if the look in her eyes meant anything. Silence reigned for a few beats as Natsuki continued to watch the door. After a few seconds, Nao figured out what was going on.

"Your future wife kidnapped your watch-pup for help in planning the wedding. Your door is unguarded," Nao said smugly, with a smile that matched her tone.

"Damn it! So you were able to just walk in here without anybody stopping you," Natsuki sighed. She had begged Shizuru to leave her the one person that would be on her side and keep out anybody that wanted to talk to her about the newest stress in her life, the wedding. Shizuru obviously did not hear that request or just thought that she needed Shiori, Natsuki's assistant, more than Natsuki needed her.

"Yes, I was. Now, what's all this about you not planning anything in your own wedding? Shizuru said you basically gave her a blank check and said 'go wild.' Is that wise since you're so sure you're going to be cut off from your family as soon as you say 'I do'?" Nao asked curiously. The rumors were flying around not just the campus, but the world about Natsuki's parents pretty much disowning her because of her engagement to Shizuru. Natsuki rarely spoke about what happened, but she often responded to such statements in a way that made the rumors seem very true.

"Might as well use the money before they cut me off. Besides, I've got more than enough money to handle this if they decide to cut me off right in the middle. So, to what do I owe the visit? Wondering if your invite got lost in the mail or if I smiled while I watched it burn?" Natsuki countered.

Nao scoffed. "I'm coming whether I get an invite or not. I just wanted to talk to you about your brothers. I know you're inviting them, so which one of the Kruger hounds is single?"

Natsuki rolled her eyes. "None of them, so don't even think about getting your evil claws into them, you damned harpy. Anyway, I thought you were gay."

"Not every damn Otome is a fruit, you nut," Nao commented.

Natsuki nodded; of course, she knew that every Otome was not homosexual, but damn it, she loved to tease Nao about it. "I thought you went out with Shiho, though."

"Like hell I do! I can't stand that pink-haired idiot!" Nao hollered indignantly, folding her arms across her chest and turning her nose up.

"Whatever. Seriously, what the hell are you doing here? You know Shizuru will skin you alive if you keep me from finishing my work since the wedding is right around the corner. She wants me done and up to speed, so I'm free for the spring vacation," Natsuki reminded the other Column with an evil smile.

"Yeah, I just came here to tell you I arm-wrestled Mai and won the right to throw you a bachelor party. And before you start blushing and screaming about how you don't want or need one, Anh is planning a party for Shizuru. Think of how wild that thing is going to be," Nao pointed out with a sinister smirk.

"I don't care. I don't want one! Go make yourself useful and help Shizuru plan the overly extravagant wedding," Natsuki ordered and dismissed the redhead with a wave of her hand. The last thing she wanted hanging over her head was a crazy party thrown by Nao; it would be something between a big joke to something x-rated, she was sure of that.

"You're getting one, end of story. Just thought you'd like the heads' up," Nao stated with a smile and then she walked out of the office.

"Goddamn it!" Natsuki howled, balling her hands up into tight fists. She could only imagine what kind of party Nao was going to throw. Well, she knew that Shizuru would not worry about anything considering how it was highly likely the party would be full of male strippers. But, Natsuki did have to worry because knowing Anh Shizuru's party would be full of the hottest women on the planet!

_Great_, Natsuki thought as she slumped in her chair. She shook it off and reminded herself that she needed to trust Shizuru. She would talk to her girlfriend about the party before it happened and then let Shizuru go have fun while trusting that Shizuru would not do anything too crazy. After that, she would hide from Nao until the next day when the wedding was going to take place. It sounded like a very good plan to her.

The principal shook those thoughts away and focused on her work. She really did need to make sure that she got everything done because she and Shizuru were leaving for the honeymoon on the first day of Spring break come Hell or high water; Shizuru had said as much. Natsuki was pretty sure that she was either leaving with everything done or just returning to a pile of work or possible unemployment if everything was not done.

Added to her list of worries, invitations for the wedding had been sent out and she had not heard anything from her family. Shuichi and Nadia had gotten back to her, but no one from her family else had responded. Were her father and mother so sickened by her and her love that they would not attend the happiest day of her life? Would they keep her brothers from attending also? She did not know what to think and calling was not answering any of the questions because no one was answering.

"I hope they come…" Natsuki muttered, sorrow clouding her emerald eyes. Despite the fact that she did not get along with her parents all that well, she still loved them. Hell, they were her parents and they were fairly decent ones at that. Sure, they did not understand her that well and sometimes they did not even try, but she knew that they loved her and wanted what was best for her. If only they could agree with Natsuki what was best for her.

--------------

"Dad, you have to talk to Mom," Hiroshi insisted in a fierce voice. He and his brothers, minus Shuichi, were crowding around their father in the King's office. They were set up around the desk and breathing down his neck as far as he was concerned.

"I am not talking to your mother about anything. Your sister is the one that is wrong," Ryo stated soundly. His tone was firm, trying to remind them that his word was law. They ignored his tone, though.

"She's wrong for being in love? Are you batty, old man?!" Koji demanded to know, earning a deadly glare from his father. For once, he did not whither under the hard gaze, though his heart did speed up a few clicks. He was surprised to find that the glare did not kill him as he and his brothers always believed it would if they did not fold.

"Dad, she's getting married with or without you. We're going and that's that," Hayate proclaimed while motioning between him and his brothers. "We're going to be there for Nat-kun because she wants us there and this is real. It is happening."

"She's not marrying that girl and you don't mention it your mother or you'll just upset her!" Ryo barked, slamming his fists on his desk. The brothers flinched a little, but other than that they were not moved.

"Dad, look at the fucking invite!" Kenta shoved the invitation into his father's face. "They're getting married next week whether we're there or not! Do you honestly want to miss your only daughter get married to the person that she loves? Do you really want to miss the happiest day of her life?" he demanded to know. He was so worked up that a vein was bulging from both his forehead and his neck.

"Cut it out!" Ryo pushed the youngest boy away. "Natsuki is only playing around, thinking this will get her out of a proper wedding. We won't recognize it here, even if it is legal other places. So, she won't be married."

The brothers all ran their hands through their hair while hoping that the tension that they were all feeling in their faces would not shatter their teeth. They looked like they were all ready to pop a vessel considering the fact that each of them had at least one vein bugling out of some place on their face or neck. They were slightly red in the face from their angry with their parents.

Ryo squirmed a little when his sons all started giving him the classic Kruger glare. He figured that he would have built up some immunity since the brothers had been glaring at him ever since Natsuki left. Their current glare held a deep intensity that he thought might border on hatred.

"Boys, you're only going to encourage Natsuki if you give into her inappropriate behavior," Ryo argued weakly, but he knew that would not fly with them. They never cared about encouraging their sister to behavior inappropriately.

"Damn it, Dad! That's not true and you know it. If you don't bother to get your head out of your ass, you're going to lose your daughter! You need to get Mom to see that because you know she'll be totally crushed if she loses Natsuki!" Kenta pointed out. He did not bother to add that their parents would also lose all of the boys if they continued to treat Natsuki as they were. The brothers had to stand up for the youngest, after all.

"It won't come to that! Natsuki will see that this isn't getting her anywhere and she'll come to her senses!" Ryo hollered, slamming his fists on the smooth wooden tabletop. He was certain that Natsuki would come to her senses as soon as she saw that her little farce was not getting her anywhere.

"Dad, that's not true and you know it. Nat-kun loves Shizuru and she's going to actually marry her. Have you looked at the invitations they sent? Top of the line. Shuichi says the wedding is the talk of the town and that's not even where they're having it! It's actually going to take place at Windbloom Castle. This is sad and sorry, Dad. Nat-kun should have been comfortable enough to have her wedding here, in Saxas and her home," Koji stated in a huff, folding his arms across his chest as a deep scowl conquered his face. His brothers shared the expression.

"She will have a proper wedding here. Not this little game," Ryo countered in a hard tone.

The brothers were not sure what else they should say to their father. It had taken all of their power just to get their parents to send Takeda away after Natsuki left. The King and Queen were trying to treat Takeda like a son and convince him that they would get Natsuki to see the light. After a couple of weeks of screaming, barking, and all around pleading from the brothers, they were able to have Takeda sent on his way—the parents did make sure to do it as politely as possible and make it seem like he was welcomed back at any time.

Now, the task of getting Takeda out was difficult, but the task of getting their parents to the couple's only daughter's wedding seemed to be damn near impossible. There was no talking to either the King or Queen about the event, even after the invitations came, along with a letter practically begging for the family to attend. Their parents ignored it as far as the brothers could tell.

"If you miss this very special day, Dad, we won't forgive you," Hiroshi vowed as the group started heading for the door.

"None of us," Hayate added in a very serious tone.

Ryo did not appear moved outwardly, but on the inside, he felt a sting. He put his head down, pretending to do paperwork until he heard the door shut. He then turned his gaze toward the ceiling, hoping that the area held the answers that he required.

"Why couldn't they just let Natsuki be normal?" Ryo muttered to himself. "Now, I have to deal with all of this extra stuff. Why couldn't she just marry Takeda? She was dating him. Surely she felt something for him at one point in time. Now, not only does she hate him, but the boys do as well. What did he do to them? He seemed like an upstanding fellow, if not a little nervous and shy around us, but also commanding and take-charge when the situation required it. He would have been a good husband for Natsuki…"

The King wanted to say that he was certain that Natsuki and Takeda would have been a good match, but then he thought about Natsuki with Shizuru. The way that they just looked at each other sometimes was enough to raise eyebrows. He did not understand it much, but he could see that it was there. Natsuki was in love with Shizuru and the feeling was returned.

It was not a friendly love, but a romantic love. A sexual love. A love that led to a wedding. A wedding that couple was having and had invited the Kruger family to. A wedding that he was having trouble believing was real.

"What if she is telling the truth? If this wedding is real and I miss it…" Ryo could not even finish that thought. Then he wondered about what would happen if the wedding was real and Saeko were to miss it. He knew that she would not have to worry about their children never forgiving her because she would never forgive herself. No matter what, Natsuki was still her little girl, after all.

With those thoughts in his head, Ryo could not help asking himself why it was such an issue then. They should just go and find out if it was real or not. Of course, doing such a thing meant convincing Saeko to go. At the moment, well more like for the past few months, she was feeling hurt and betrayed, by none other than Natsuki. She did not even want to talk about their daughter right now, so he was not sure how he would be able to approach the subject with her.

"Well, I don't know how to approach the subject with her without her trying to take my head off as soon as I say Natsuki's name or her friend's name…" Ryo said while scratching his chin in thought.

----(New day)

Natsuki was sitting at her desk, going over and over everything that she had to do as well as finish up any work that was waiting for her. The wedding was days away and thankfully most of the heavy planning was out of the way; that meant she hardly had to do anything then. Shizuru, Shizuru's mother, Shizuru's beloved onee-sama Anh, and Mai handled almost everything about the wedding; all Natsuki had to do was hand out money, which was her kind of job. Shizuru knew that was the job that Natsuki wanted and did not put any pressure on the principal, well aware that Natsuki had her own things to worry about.

The thing that was really eating at Natsuki was her family. Her parents had yet to confirm that they were coming; it was driving Mai mad since she was doing the seating arrangements. It was also driving Natsuki to distraction.

"Do they really hate me so much now? Are they that disappointed that they don't want to see me?" Natsuki asked the air. The air did not have any answers. _Damn air_.

The principal ran her hand through her long, ebony mane, wishing that it somehow made her brain come up with answers to her questions. She caught sight of the phone and went to grab it without thinking. She stopped herself before she picked up the receiver.

Calling had not helped the past few months. Her mother and father were not taking her calls, after all. Her brothers could only answer when no one was around and a servant was kind enough to put her on, even though there seemed to be standing orders to tell her that the party that she was requesting could not come to the phone at the moment or was unavailable for a reason that was never disclosed to her. _Why should it be any different to call now?_

She did not have an answer for that, yet her hand picked up the phone anyway. She dialed without the aid of her brain. Maybe they would remember that it was less than a week to her wedding and one of her parents would actually talk to her, let her know that they hated her for what she was doing or, maybe even let her know that it was all right and they still loved her and they were going to attend her wedding ceremony.

When Natsuki's mother picked up directly and greeted her, the principal actually found herself at a loss for words. She was a woman that had to be very articulate, elegant, and diplomatic when it came to her work, which involved talking to all sorts of people, but right now, none of that reached her mind. Work she could do on auto, but dealing with her family, finding out if she was going to be forsaken, was something that crushed everything inside of her and shut her down.

"Natsuki-chan, I know it's you. We have caller ID," Saeko reminded the younger woman.

"I know. I was just…shocked that you picked up," Natsuki admitted sheepishly.

"I was told that I can't stay mad at you forever…although it is tempting," Saeko stated, sounding quite serious.

The principal swallowed hard. "Does that mean you're not going to come to the wedding? Shizuru's family really wants to meet all of you…" Her voice trembled, trying to work its way out of her mouth around the lump in her throat.

"I find it hard to believe that her family is all right with the idea of two women getting married," her mother replied in a clipped tone.

"It's not a foreign concept around here at all. It's not that bad, Mom. You liked Shizuru before you found that we were a couple. You liked her more than you liked me, in fact!" the former biker pointed out.

"I didn't like her more. You're my daughter, Natsuki. Yes, I did like Shizuru. I still like Shizuru, but I love you. I want what's best for you and marrying a woman isn't the best thing for you. She can't complete you."

"She does, Mom! I know you think that in order to balance things out, women should marry men and vise versa, but we work! I've seen many same-sex couples that work. Shizuru and I, we've been together for almost as long as I've been away from home. We've been together longer than Shuichi and Nadia. We work and we'll be together forever. I just know it and I want you to see it. I want you to come and see how happy she makes me," Natsuki pled into the phone, scrunching up her face as if she was fighting off tears. She was clutching the receiver with both hands so tightly that her knuckles were turning white.

"I don't think I can, Natsuki-chan. Not only do I think it's wrong, but it's also selfish in more ways than one."

Gone was the sorrowful expression and it was replaced with deep seeded anger. "Is this about the family legacy again? We'll survive this! Fuck, Grandpa survived a goddamn revolution! You think this is going to stop our family? It won't! We're fighters and you know that!"

"I'm talking about children! I know the Kruger family is full of fighters. I've seen it all with this family! Before I even became a member, my family was old enough to see just as much of the Kruger dynasty! I know it will survive this scandal!"

"Then what the fuck is the problem?!" Natsuki snarled.

"I want more grandchildren!"

"So? As I said, what the fuck is the problem?" the principal demanded in a harsh tone.

"How can you give me more grandchildren if you're married to a woman?" Saeko countered in a heated voice.

Natsuki blinked hard and paused everything, even her fury. Her mother was worried about her having children? The idea seemed so ridiculous and then she stopped and thought about it. She remembered where her mother was…where her mother never left.

"Mom, we have technology that can allow us to put nanomachines into a woman's body and give her great, supernatural abilities," Natsuki started.

"And?" Saeko snapped in an impatient tone, not even caring where her daughter was going with this random change of subject.

"But, these nanomachines are killed the moment that they come into connect with semen."

"I know that," Saeko pointed out through gritted teeth.

"These women are trained for years around other women. They don't forsake relationships for the position. They build relationships and some of them actually last."

"You're losing me fast, Natsuki," Saeko stated.

"Mom, some years ago, medical experts here came up with a way to transfer one woman's genes into her partner and cause pregnancy," Natsuki said bluntly. It was a goal that was accomplished quite a few generations ago by some of the greatest—and most desperate—Otome minds. Those women had wanted children with their partners and they were going to get them; they were very determined for that goal.

The silence on the other end of the phone was loud enough to shatter Natsuki's eardrums. She was certain that she could hear her mother's heart beating over the phone. She did not know what to make of the silence and wished that it would end before she went deaf because of it.

"Mom?" Natsuki said, finally unable to take the quiet any longer.

The line went dead and Natsuki's heart sank into her feet. What did it mean for her mother to hang up? Was that it? Was she out of the family now? Was she never going to see her mother again?

The urge to throw up was too strong to ignore. The principal shot up from her chair and rushed to her private bathroom. Shizuru entered the office to the unmistakable sound of retching and what she was almost certain was sobbing. She rushed into the bathroom to find Natsuki bent over the toilet, letting out everything that she had for breakfast. Shizuru did the thing any good friend and lover would do at the moment—she held Natsuki's hair for her and rubbed her back in a soothing manner.

When Natsuki was finished, she quietly rose to her feet and went to the sink. Shizuru made sure to stay out of her way. Natsuki washed her face before anything else and then brushed her teeth. She rinsed her mouth with mouthwash twice to make sure that any trace that she had vomited was gone.

Shizuru followed silently behind Natsuki as the principal returned to her desk. Shizuru went to her perch on the corner, but Natsuki stood up and yanked the older woman to her. Shizuru made herself comfortable on Natsuki's lap and rested her head against her lover's forehead.

"What's the matter with my precious prince?" Shizuru asked in a soft, tender tone.

"I think I just lost my mother. I called her…" Natsuki trailed off as she tried to compose herself.

"And what happened, dearest one?"

"We spoke. I wanted to know if she was coming to the wedding. She went into a list as to why she thought it was wrong for me to marry you. Her main problem seemed to be that she thought we couldn't have children together and when I told her we could, she hung up on me. What do you think that means?" Natsuki asked, big green eyes begging for something reassuring.

Shizuru wanted to sigh, but she kept that in. Her heart broke for her lover, but she tried her best to comfort Natsuki. "I wish I could tell you exactly what it means, but I'm not too sure. It's possible that she was overwhelmed by the idea. I'm sure in Saxas they think such a thing is impossible. The stuff of fiction and imagination," she pointed out.

"It's true. They do," the younger woman confirmed.

"So, maybe the idea just overwhelmed her and she did not know how to react. Give her some time before you think all is lost."

Natsuki nodded and hoped that Shizuru was right. She would hate to think that a dial tone was going to be her last memory of her mother. The way that Shizuru held her gave her hope, though. Everything about Shizuru gave her hope.

"I wish I could propose again," Natsuki muttered.

"Just say 'I do' when the time comes and that will be more than enough, ouji-sama," Shizuru replied.

The ebony-haired princess nodded. When the time came, she would not have any problem saying "I do." She could not wait for the day and was surprised that she did not feel a bit of anxiety about the upcoming wedding. She felt joy and was eager to call Shizuru her wife.

--------------

Ryo stared at Saeko; he had been doing so for almost a half-hour now. She was sitting on the sofa in one of the lounges, curled up with a book that he suspected she was not reading. Her eyes did not move as she glared at the pages as if they had managed to offend her in ways he could not imagine. He took a deep breath and figured that it was time to stop staring and just hoping that she would give in, knowing why his gaze was upon her in the first place. He was going to have to say something; he was going to have to change her mind.

"Saeko, we have to make a decision. The boys already packed. They're leaving, with or without us. Natsuki is going to get married whether we're there or not. Do you really want to miss out on that?" Ryo inquired in a gentle tone. He did stay where he was. He needed to get a gauge on her reaction before he ventured in; the kids' got their tempers from their mother, after all.

"We shouldn't support Natsuki in something so obviously wrong. It's like we're saying we're all right with it if she hurts herself," Saeko argued, her eyes never leaving the book. He could not see her expression thanks to the tome in front of her.

Ryo continued on with caution, staying where he was and keeping his tone soft. "If Natsuki thinks this is right and it does last, she'll never forgive us for not attending. We'll lose all of our children if we don't go."

Her jaw tensed as she frowned. "We're just playing into her hands."

"Saeko, if she's not playing and we miss this, we'll lose her forever. We'll lose them all forever. Are you really willing to risk that?"

The silence that filled the room was enough to crush the both of them. Ryo boldly took a step closer to Saeko and took her hand. She kept her eyes on her book for a little while longer before gathering the courage to look at him. He was surprised to see tears filling emerald eyes.

"I just want what's best for my little girl! Why doesn't anyone understand that?!" she bawled, throwing her book down. The tears flowed freely, like small, twin streams down her pale cheeks.

"Oh, they all understand, honey," Ryo promised as he leaned down to embrace her. He kissed her cheek, pausing her tears for only a moment. "It's the idea of what is best that you and she differ on. But, one must admit that Shizuru made our little girl very happy. Natsuki smiled freely and socialized openly. We've never seen Natsuki around a person like that, not even with the boys. With the boys, she acts like one of them, but with Shizuru, it seems like she's…well…like she's Natsuki," he stated. He could not think of a better way to put it. With Shizuru, their daughter was just Natsuki and she seemed to be most happy in those moments.

"I wanted her to be the perfect lady. Instead, she's marrying the perfect lady. What does that make her? She'll be the groom at the wedding? Is that how we raised our daughter?" Saeko demanded to know.

Ryo only held her tighter through her rage. "I don't know if that's how it works. We never really bothered to ask her questions. Maybe if we tried to understand this a little better, she would be more willing to share information and to let us know why she's doing this. Aren't you tired of always having to fight them? We fought Shuichi and almost lost him. Hell, for a long time, we left him thinking we didn't care about him at all. Are you ready to go through this same process with Natsuki? Are you prepared to have that fight and to lose again and maybe lose Natsuki while we're at it?" he asked quietly.

Saeko sniffled and elegantly wiped away her tears with a sweep of her hand. "I wanted Natsuki to have what we have…"

"Perhaps she will find that with Shizuru."

"How?"

"Darling, I think I will point out that out of all of children, Shuichi is the only one that is happily married. Maybe it was because he was able to pick his bride. Someone that allows him to be himself, much like you allow me to myself. Granted, I'm not as wild as our children and I never was, but this is more than likely why Natsuki will find what we have with Shizuru if she is serious. Like I can be Ryo and Shuichi can be Shuichi, Natsuki will be able to be Natsuki. We should give it a chance and fight for her happiness if this is it. Yes, I know the scandals and everything that will come up, but we'll battle through that. This is for our only daughter."

Ebony hair swayed from the nodding motion of pale head. "I don't know if I can do this, Ryo. Two women together? Natsuki can't possibly get the emotional and spiritual support she would need throughout life."

"As I understand it, they've been together for ten years, so I would suppose that she's getting something out of it. Saeko, do you want your last memory of Natsuki being that of you watching her back as walked out of the dining hall and out of our lives?"

"That wouldn't be my last memory," the Queen muttered.

"No?"

"I just got off of the phone with her not too long ago. I hung up on her after she told me that it was possible for her or Shizuru to get the other pregnant…" Saeko trailed off.

Confusion conquered Ryo's face in record time. "What?"

"According to her, her school has a method of allowing women to impregnate women. I hung up on her after that, not wanting to tell her that such science was foolish and more than likely dangerous."

Ryo paused to rub his head for a moment, trying to comprehend what he had just been told. "Well, she would know better than us…" He supposed that she would anyway. It was her school, after all.

"Even if it was possible, who knows what kind of a child such a thing would produce? Children should come naturally, not through scientists fooling around with some poor woman's body!" Saeko huffed.

Ryo sighed, not sure how to argue that. He retreated back to the fact that the children would never forgive them if they missed Natsuki's wedding. He also made sure to point out that they would never forgive themselves if they lose Natsuki to such foolishness. He was not sure if he was getting through to her at all.

-----(New day)

"I can't believe Shizuru let you wear this," Mai huffed as she helped adjust Natsuki's tie.

The principal was wearing a uniquely cut tuxedo. Well, it was more like a formal version of her uniform, but it was pure white with gold trim. Her shirt was even similar, but it was a deep yellow instead of her usual blue and it still showed off her stomach just a little bit. The jacket was snow white and a little longer than the jacket she typically wore. The lapels had gold outlining them as well as elongated "s" designs going down the middle; yes, the "s" designs were for Shizuru's name, but Natsuki was never going to admit to that. Her pants were also white with a gold line down the center, hugging her a little more closely than she actually liked and falling to mid-calf. Her shoes were golden with thick heels.

"It was either let me wear a suit or she wasn't going to Anh's bachelorette party," Natsuki countered while trying to step away from Mai's busy hands. She was certain that everything about her suit was perfect and Mai was just being overly motherly, as she had a habit of doing. She was glad that Shizuru agreed to let her wear the suit because beyond the fact that she did not like dresses much, she also disliked weddings when there were two people in wedding gowns. She thought it might be because even after ten years, she still was not quite as accustomed to same-sex marriages as she figured she should be.

"I hear it was quite the party too," Mai remarked with a teasing grin.

"Yeah, well, I'm sure Nao's party could rival it." Not that she would know considering the fact that she spent much of the night hiding in a closet after Nao ordered one of the male strippers to shake in Natsuki's face.

Mai did not say anything against that; Nao could throw one hell of a party. She just hoped that no one was taking pictures because a few of the Otome got out of hand, especially when the female strippers arrived. Chie was especially going to be in a lot of trouble if Aoi ever found out what happened at the party.

Before another topic of conversation came up, there was a knock at the door. Mai huffed, annoyed that she was being interrupted from saving Natsuki from herself. Natsuki smiled, grateful for the rescue from Mai.

"As long as you're not Shizuru or Nao, you can come on in," Natsuki called to the door while stepping away to answer it anyway.

Natsuki made it to the door, but did not have to reach for the doorknob. Her eyes went wide as dinner plates when the door opened and showed her who was on the other side, who had shown up for the most important day of her life.

"Mom…Dad…" Natsuki whispered as she stared her mother and father in the face.

--------------

Next time: Why are Natsuki's parents there? For good or bad reasons? The wedding has a special, uninvited guest.


	20. Speak now

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

20: Speak now…

Natsuki's jaw was so close to the floor that she could taste the carpet fibers. Her brain was accusing her eyes of being dirty, filthy liars. Her mind was certain that if she blinked the illusions would vanish, so she made it a point not to blink. Honestly, her mother and father could not be standing right in front of her on her wedding day after treating her as if she had done the most irresponsible and evil thing she could possibly do, right?

"You're not here to stop me, are you?" Natsuki asked before anything else came to mind. Right now, the only plausible explanation was that her mother and father were going to try to stop her from marrying Shizuru. If that was the case, she knew that she needed to get them out of there quickly because Shizuru would kill them if she found out about that plan!

"You're getting married in that?" Saeko countered, totally ignoring her daughter's nervous question. She motioned to Natsuki's outfit with a quick sweep of her hand. She did not look impressed by the clothes.

"Thank you!" Mai chimed in from the back of the room. She was glad someone was supporting her by questioning the principal's choice in clothes. She could not believe that Natsuki was not wearing a wedding gown to her own wedding!

Natsuki took a moment to turn and glare at her supposed best friend; who was never on her side, might she add! Mai did not appear to be moved by the glare; she was much too used to it. The principal then turned to eye her parents with an eerie amount of suspicion. If they noticed, they did not let on, except to look as remorseful as possible. The Royal couple almost looked like scolded children.

"Mom, Dad, what are you doing here?" Natsuki repeated her, her voice hard and grim. The tone changed her parents' expressions immediately.

The King and Queen regarded their daughter with a semi-outraged look in their eyes. They had expected Natsuki to be happy for them just showing up. Saeko was about to meet the outrage with her own wrath, but Ryo's hand on her back kept her calm, reminded her of what they had been through the past few months.

"You're not here to stop the wedding, are you? It's not something I would advise," Natsuki stated soundly and in a neutral tone. "If Shizuru doesn't kill you, her mother certainly won't mind being the second in line."

"Natsuki, we would never…" Ryo said and he was a little too taken back by her attitude to finish his declaration.

"I would like to believe that, but you are the people that called…that man…back into our lives just because you refused to believe that I am in love with Shizuru and going to marry her no matter what. So, tell me right now, what are you doing here?" Natsuki demanded to know, emerald eyes hard and her body was tense. She was not willing to chance anyone, even her parents, ruining what was going to be the happiest day of her and Shizuru's lives.

Ryo nodded in understanding while appearing somewhat ashamed. "I suppose we deserve that. We're just here to see our little girl get married."

The words did not erase the look in Natsuki's emerald eyes. "Are you for real?" she asked, taking time to look at both of her parents equally. She suspected both of them of being able and capable of ruining her wedding. She was not going to allow that.

"We are," Saeko insisted, eyes blazing from anger of being suspected. They had taken their time to come out here, only to have their daughter acting like they were going to bomb the place. _Unacceptable! _Ryo's hand on her back pressed a little more, keeping her from flying off the handle, but it did not stop her from fuming.

Natsuki tensed more so than she already was. Her mother's voice seemed a little more forced than her father's. She wondered if her father was sincere while her mother was there under some kind of threat. If that was the case, she figured that nothing was beyond her mother. The courtyard of Windbloom palace could fill with Saxas noblemen at any moment.

"Natsuki, we don't have time for an argument. Shizuru will take her naginata to you if you're late," Mai reminded her, hoping to put an end to the stalemate that the Krugers had to be feeling. She knew how much Natsuki wanted her parents at the wedding, remembering how Natsuki's face beamed and fell when her brothers arrived without the King and Queen of Saxas.

The principal paled, knowing how right her friend was. She turned back to Mai, silently asking for approval so that she could get a move on it. Mai tossed her a thumbs' up and an approving grin.

"Go get married, you big lug. Besides, the more time you take, the more time Nao has to try to worm her way into one of your brothers' laps," Mai teased.

"Okay. Make sure my mom and dad get to their seats," Natsuki ordered.

"Gotcha, principal." Mai saluted to get in an extra taunt.

Natsuki frowned a bit; Mai had been "on" all day, but she was actually thankful for it. Mai's normal behavior helped downplay the seriousness and importance of the day and kept Natsuki from panicking. In fact, everyone that was close to Natsuki had made it a point to act normal without going beyond it to keep her from over-thinking; even Nao made sure not to act too over-the-top.

The principal rushed off, leaving her parents in Mai's capable hands. The Otome smiled at the Krugers while they took in her strange attire. They guessed that Mai was a…groomsman…based on the fact that she was wearing a light blue outfit that looked like the love child of a tuxedo and a dress. The top part was form fitting and looked much like a suit jacket; she was wearing a white shirt underneath. She wore a flowing matching gown as the bottom of the outfit. It was her idea because she wanted the women standing on Natsuki's side to wear dresses while also giving away that they were standing with Natsuki.

"Well, let me show you to your seats so I can go check on the other bride. If I don't do it soon, Natsuki will think that Shizuru decided to make a run for it," Mai joked.

The parents were not sure what to make of the remark and they were not too sure what to make of Mai. They were silent as the redhead showed them out to the courtyard where a load of guests were waiting. Ryo and Saeko were surprised by the amount of people filling the courtyard for their daughter's wedding.

"All these people…" Saeko muttered in disbelief. All of those people were there to see their daughter get married. So many people and they had almost missed it because of her. The thought made her frown deeply.

"It is a lot of people. Natsuki and Shizuru had to invite almost the whole world once word got out that they were getting married," Mai explained with an amused smile. They were lucky that Mashiro was willing to give up the palace because even in Garderobe they would have had a problem figuring out where to hold all of the people, unless they just held the wedding in the quad…and then they would have had to deal with all of the students bugging out in some shape or form.

The parents were not too sure what to make of what they were being told. They were more dumbstruck by what they were seeing and followed behind Mai silently as she took them to the front of the crowd. She motioned to two seats, which they took wordlessly. Mai smiled at them and then turned to the two seats on the opposite end of the aisle.

"Should I check on Shizuru or is she all right?" Mai asked the couple.

"Haruka has volunteered to keep her back there until the ceremony starts. It might help if you tell her that Natsuki isn't at the altar yet," the male, who looked suspiciously like Shizuru, suggested, smiling as he spoke.

"Where is Natsuki? She left before I did. She should be out here already," Mai sighed while looking around for her friend.

"Are we sure Natsuki did not make a run for it? She's quite the nervous creature," an ebony-haired woman with shining red eyes commented. She was sitting next to the man that looked suspiciously like Shizuru.

"I'll go find her, but I doubt that she ran off. She probably just ran into someone," Mai said.

Mai raced off, forgetting to do the one thing that she was certain Natsuki would have liked her to do. Namely, formally introduce her parents to the couple sitting across from them. It did not matter, though. The couple handled that themselves.

"The royal couple of Saxas. We were beginning to fear that you would not make it," the tawny-haired male commented in a smooth voice that almost sounded as if he was laughing every time that he spoke.

The royal couple turned, stunned that they were being addressed and then they realized that the man looked quite familiar. Ryo regained control of his speech first. "Count Viola?" he asked.

"The very same," the man, Shizuru's father, smiled lightly and extended his hand. Ryo wasted no time shaking it, even though it was evident from his expression that he was not in the company of one of his favorite people.

"That's the same look Natsuki gives you when you shake her hand," the ruby-eyed woman remarked while motioning lightly to Ryo's face.

"So it is. Dear, I don't believe you've had the pleasure of meeting his royal majesty King Ryo Kruger and his lovely wife Queen Saeko Kruger," Count Viola said, motioning to the couple opposite them.

"I can see where Natsuki gets her good looks from," Mrs. Viola commented while smiling in Saeko's direction.

Saeko flinched at the comment, which only got smiles and laughs from Shizuru's parents. Ryo glanced back at his wife, hoping that she did not look ready to flee the scene. While she looked uncomfortable, she did not appear as if she was going to go anywhere.

"Ryo, Saeko, this is my usually boring, serious wife, Shizue," Count Viola said, easily dropping formalities and saying their names as if he had known them all his life. "She's decided to be fun today since our darling oldest is finally getting married."

"Watch it, Dante. You do have to go home with me at the end of the day," Shizue remarked dryly.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," the Count, Dante, replied with a charming smile that got him out of more trouble than most people would see fitting for a nobleman.

Shizue rolled her eyes. "Ignore my husband. It's generally the wise thing to do as he will say anything that comes to mind. I'm sure you've figured out that his daughter gets the habit from him."

Dante smiled more, as if those words made him happy. The Viola couple tried to coax conversation out of the Krugers, but the royals were obviously in some stupor that simple discussion was not going to get them out of. They tried pointing out the extravagant settings, bright atmosphere, and wonderful clothing, hoping that those things would get the Krugers talking, but that did not work either. They barely got nods out of the royals as they pointed out the people that Natsuki and Shizuru knew personally, as opposed to the diplomats and nobles that were there as formalities. Saeko was suddenly hit with a realization from all of that.

"You two are totally fine with this, aren't you?" Saeko asked the proud parents.

Dante and Shizue smiled. "Of course," they answered simultaneously. _Why wouldn't we be?_

"You don't think it's strange…?" Ryo broached the subject, but could not finish all the way for a reason he could not figure out.

"Well, it is strange that Natsuki waited so long to make an honest woman out of my little girl, yes," Dante remarked with a laugh while rubbing his chin as if he was in deep thought.

"I'm still certain she's going to run while she still has the chance," Shizue said in a humorless tone with a slight wave of her hand.

"Natsuki would never!" Ryo huffed indignantly, insulted that they would dare imply his daughter would do anything dishonorable.

"Calm down. She's joking…somewhat. She did run away from our wedding, but I'm sure that had to do with the fact that her father planned to shoot me right after we exchanged vows," Dante joked, waving his hand to dismiss the whole matter.

"Keep telling yourself that, stud," Shizue said while shaking her head, causing her short ebony locks to flutter slightly before falling perfectly back into place.

"But, you're all right with our girls getting…married…?" Ryo inquired with a craned eyebrow. He leaned forward a bit, as if he was telling them a secret.

"Of course we are. Natsuki makes Shizuru happy and the reverse is true. We like Natsuki a great deal. She is a fine young woman. What more could someone ask for?" Dante answered with a joyous, inviting grin.

The Kruger couple was at a complete loss. The Viola pair was obviously very comfortable with what was going on, as were most of the people around. Hell, their own sons were standing by the altar, apparently groomsmen for Natsuki. They were mixing with the few bridesmaids that were there and they seemed totally at ease with everything that was going on.

The level of comfort remained as Natsuki finally came in, being pushed around by Mai. Natsuki, of course, looked rather irked by her friend's insistence, but was internally grateful. Mai was able to ignore her friend's annoyance, mostly because she was used to it. She also knew that Natsuki literally needed the push to get to where she needed to be because nervousness was starting to creep into the principal. While handling Natsuki, Mai noticed something else that required her attention.

"Where did Mikoto go?" Mai wondered aloud.

"Knowing her, a cheeseball rolled in front of her and she had to follow it," Natsuki muttered, which earned her a glare from her best friend.

"Now, don't you start or I will tell Shizuru that you were out here flirting with those biker babes in the back row," Mai said, shaking a finger in her friend's face.

Natsuki growled at the redhead; _what was it with redheads?!_ She was certain that redheads were put on the planet to drive her out of her mind and to try to get her killed. It seemed to be the mission of the two redheads she knew anyway.

"You shouldn't joke around like that," Natsuki said to Mai. The biker women in the back were old friends of hers, but she doubted that Shizuru would care about that at the moment. Or at least in her anxiety plagued mind Shizuru would not care that those women were her friends and would just want her to stay away from them.

Mai shrugged and strolled off, having to go find the lost neko-goddess now. She, for one, was going to be happy when the wedding was finally over. She had a lot of fun working on it, but right now, having to keep up with Natsuki, Shizuru, and Mikoto was working on her nerves.

Natsuki sighed and tried to keep herself calm by looking around at what was going on. Her eyes scanned the ocean of guests, making sure that everyone there was invited. She would hate for some fan to have managed to sneak in, even though there were plenty of Otome that volunteered to stand guard to make sure that did not happen. She was satisfied that everyone there was supposed to be.

Shifting slightly, she looked over at Shizuru's parents. She made sure not to linger on them before their radar went off and they turned their attention to her. She just took in their relaxed demeanors and then looked at her own parents. They looked like they were there due to force and had guns at the backs of their heads. They looked the total opposite of the Kruger brothers.

Natsuki's brothers were all happy to stand as "groomsmen" for her; they decided that they were "groomsmen" since Natsuki was their "baby brother." She had not planned for them to have such a role at first, but Shizuru had a list of bridesmaids and wanted to make sure that everything was balanced. Along with her brothers, Mai and Nao were "groomsmen." Mai was sort of the "best man," so to speak; Natsuki had given her the title "best woman" because she thought it would be confusing if there were two people walking around as "maid-of-honor." Mai accepted the title because she wanted things to be as smooth as possible and not confuse anyone there.

Everything seemed to be in order, even though she was not too happy with how much Nao was smiling while talking to her brothers. She shifted from foot to foot, anxiety building for the ceremony to start. She felt a hand on her shoulder that got her to stop moving about.

"Shuichi-nii-sama," Natsuki said as she turned to see who was touching her.

"Calm down. You don't want to sweat out your new suit," he remarked with a smile.

"You're right. Shizuru would probably stop the whole wedding and make me change if she saw me sweating bullets in this thing. This is crazy. I've been with this woman forever it seems, but I'm scared out of my mind that she might change her mind about all of this. Or worse, she won't change her mind!" Natsuki laughed a bit. "I'm out of my mind, aren't I?" she asked in a low voice while looking down at the floor, feeling pathetic.

"Of course not, baby bro. This is the happiest day of your life and you're worried that something might go wrong. Nothing is going to go wrong, not now and not later on. You'll be able to keep Shizuru just as happy years from now as she is now. Yes, you'll have fights and disagreements, but all and all everything will be all right. You'll finally feel whole," Shuichi assured his little sister.

Natsuki looked up at her big brother and gave him a half-smile. "Even that thought scares me. Just the whole thing about change makes me nervous. I mean, nothing will be the same after this moment, even if it seems that way."

"It'll be a good thing, though, Nat-kun. You're doing the right thing."

"I know that, but my stomach doesn't seem to know it just yet," Natsuki remarked, wrapping her arms around the aforementioned body part. She did feel like she might throw up as she started to realize just how big the day was. She was about to be joined to the woman that she loved forever. She was surprised that she had not fainted yet and she hoped that she did not do it when the time came to say "I do."

"It'll be fine. I know it will. You'll be fine and you'll be a great partner for Shizuru, as she will be for you," Shuichi promised.

Natsuki smiled brightly and hugged him. "Thanks so much, onii-sama."

Shuichi smiled back. "I'm proud of you, Natsuki. You're taking a big step in life for love, not caring what Mom and Dad have to say or what the people in Saxas have to say. You're an inspiration."

"I'm only doing what you showed me how to do."

"Either way, I'm proud of you and I do wish you the best."

Their conversation was halted when Mai returned with Mikoto. The redhead dragged Mikoto past the siblings and Natsuki was able to gather that she was not too far off for why Mikoto was missing. Mikoto was crying about being pulled away from the chocolate fountain; Natsuki winced as she remembered the cost of that interesting little item.

"Mikoto, you can have as much of the chocolate fountain as you want, after you perform the ceremony. We've gone over this a million times. We're counting on you," Mai reminded the petite goddess.

"I'm sorry, Mai. It just looked so yummy!" Mikoto replied. It looked good and everything about the wedding was taking so long. No one told her that everything would take so long to get started and much of the food would be hardly a hundred feet away.

"I know, Mikoto. You can have some as soon as you marry Shizuru and Natsuki. Okay?" Mai said.

Mikoto nodded; she knew the drill. She had been rehearsing the ceremony for the past couple of months to make sure she did everything right. She was flattered when Shizuru asked her to perform something that she had come to understand was the biggest day in two people's lives. Now, if only the day could start sometime soon, she would be happy; her and Natsuki both, actually.

The sound of music signaled that things were about to start. Natsuki hurried to her space as did everyone else. Several bridesmaids rushed out to get into place, including Haruka and Anh. The maid-of-honor was a young teenager that looked suspiciously like a thinner, shorter Shizuru with black hair; this was Shizuru's little sister, Daphne. All of the bridesmaids wore their dresses well and stood with pride.

As the song changed, Shizuru began walking down the aisle. Natsuki felt her head go light as she caught sight of her lover in her flowing wedding gown for the first time. The dress was a beautiful white that pooled around Shizuru's feet, hiding the open-toed sandals that she was wearing. The top clung to her with a faint, wave design going across it in very light lavender colors; it almost matched the lavender dresses that her bridesmaids were wearing. On her shoulder, connected to one of her straps, was Natsuki's unique barrette that most people had never seen leave the principal's head.

As Shizuru stood next to her, the principal nearly toppled over, but thankfully Mai caught her and held her upright. It took all of Natsuki's will to avoid hyperventilating. Shizuru then took Natsuki's hand and the simple gesture calmed everything that was unstable inside of Natsuki. The smile that Shizuru then graced her with let her feel like everything was right in the world.

The couple's eyes met and locked. It felt like energy passed between them and set them both at ease. Shizuru smiled, which got a smile out of Natsuki. The principal did not know it, but that small expression caused Shizuru to calm down too. No one knew it, but Shizuru had felt like her insides might fall out all day. Now she felt totally fine. She was more than certain that she—_that they_—were making the right the decision.

Shizuru mouthed the words "I love you" to Natsuki before they turned to face Mikoto. The petite cat goddess grinned, eager to show how much she had learned about weddings and marriage in the past few months. She was going to give her all for Natsuki and Shizuru. Then, as soon as she was ready to proceed, there were interrupting loud noises from just beyond the courtyard.

The noises were shouting from what everyone could tell and the ruckus caught their attention. All heads turned from the front to the back of the courtyard, wanting a glimpse of what was causing all of the hoopla. They were taken aback when a spikey haired young man seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"Natsuki, wait!" Takeda called as he tried to catch his breath after entering the courtyard.

"Takeda?" Natsuki growled and her eyes were taken over by a hard, cold glare. She turned her attention to her parents. "Is this your doing?" she demanded to know in a snarl that was almost unrecognizable as her voice. Her parents were shocked by her tone and could not readily answer.

"Natsuki, you know you want to marry me! Why are you doing this?" Takeda begged to know as he started walking down the aisle, earning stares, glares, and gasps thanks to his words.

"How the hell did you even get in here?" Natsuki roared. She had given out his picture to everyone working security to make sure that he did not get in and yet here he was. _Did they think I was kidding?!_

"My love for you brought me here!"

"Are you a fucking moron?!" Natsuki screamed. It was the only explanation to his stupidity in her opinion.

"We're meant to be together. You know this is wrong!" Takeda shouted, sounding almost like he was sobbing, but there were no tears coming from his eyes. "You were made for me! We belong together!" he declared.

"Fool!" Natsuki barked and she glanced at her lover. Shizuru was way too calm, standing way too still, and staring much too coldly down the aisle.

"Natsuki…" Takeda started walking down the aisle, coming closer.

The principal's next move shocked everyone, but she felt like it was the best possible action for her to take, even if it seemed excessive. She reached behind her and produced two handguns; they were there for just such an emergency. There were loud gasps that echoed through out the whole courtyard. She aimed the weapons at Takeda as if he was a hated enemy that she might have to kill. He halted dead in his tracks while everyone else held their breath, waiting to see what would happen next.

"Takeda, I feel nothing for you except heated anger that you would dare show your face here and try to ruin my wedding. Now, if you don't turn around and leave right now, I will shoot you," Natsuki promised in a cold tone.

The crowd turned to Takeda, wondering how he would respond. He reached for his sword, which was on his hip as always, and removed it from the scabbard. He pointed the blade to the front, but not at the person holding weapons on him. His sword was directed right at Shizuru.

"Takeda, don't be a fool," Natsuki tried to warn. The poor bastard did not know what he was doing to challenge Shizuru, she thought. It was safer to challenge her than Shizuru at the moment.

A darkness smothered Shizuru's eyes and a chilling smile tugged at one side of her mouth. She chuckled a bit, a hollow sinister sound that caused everyone's blood to freeze in their veins. She regarded Takeda in a manner that a spider looked at a fly, cocking her head to the side slightly while staring down at him.

"You think you can come in here and just take Natsuki from me?" Shizuru asked as she put her hand out. There was a small distortion in the air around her and then her naginata appeared in hand.

"Shizuru," Natsuki said and then she threw herself in front of Shizuru, blocking her view of Takeda. "Look at me!" Natsuki ordered. Crimson eyes did not move until the order came a second and third time. "Look at me, damn it!"

"Natsuki…?" Shizuru muttered, turning to look at her lover.

"Don't do it. He's not going to take me from you. You're in your wedding dress and this is supposed to be the happiest day of our lives. Don't let this worm ruin it by taking you to places you know you never want to go again," Natsuki stated soundly, firmly.

Shizuru blinked once and then twice, the cloudy, hard gaze in her eyes vanishing with each blink. The expression was replaced by a tearful, frightened look that crushed all of Natsuki's insides. The principal wrapped her arms around Shizuru's waist and placed a gentle, sweet, but short kiss to her lips.

"Let me take care of this. I promise you that this will remain the happiest day of your life," Natsuki vowed. "Just stay here with me," she added, and she was not talking about physically.

Shizuru nodded, looking much like a troubled child, but she did disperse her naginata. Natsuki gave her another kiss before turning her attention back to Takeda. She put one of her guns away as she started marching toward him. His face dropped as he saw Shizuru was not going to approach him.

"You have a lot of nerve coming here, Takeda. This is my wedding day, to the woman I love. I am marrying the woman I will spend the rest of my life with, the woman I will build a family with, the woman who I will bring happiness to everyday for as long as she lets me, and the woman I have feelings so deep for a lot of people don't seem to understand them. I will never have those same feelings for you. I never had feelings for you beyond those of a friend and now you've ruined those. I dislike you immensely and if you don't get out of here right now, I will shoot you to prove my point," Natsuki vowed and then she aimed her weapon at him, pointing the gun at the center of his chest.

"Natsuki…please…" Takeda begged, whimpering like a lost puppy.

"Turn around and walk away. I'm marrying Shizuru no matter what. She's the one for me. You will never be that, especially with the way you behave. How dare you show up like this? How dare you pull a weapon on her? This is beyond disrespectful, but distasteful and disgusting. You should know when to admit defeat. You should know when you are only making a fool out of yourself and embarrassing your homeland," Natsuki stated.

"We were in love…"

"You were in love. I was a friend to you and now we are nothing. Get it through your head right now," she commanded in her "principal" voice.

Takeda stared into stone cold emerald eyes. He swallowed hard and the hand holding his sword shook. Time seemed to stand still for everyone, but as each second ticked by, dozens of people were ready to make a move on Takeda. Then his hand and his blade dropped to his side.

"Natsuki…" he muttered.

"We were only friends, Takeda. She always held my heart and I know you know that. Do the right thing," Natsuki said.

Takeda nodded and to everyone's surprise he turned around and walked away with his shoulders slumped and his head bowed in defeat. Natsuki breathed a sigh of relief as she watched his retreating form. Guards outside of the courtyard came to escort him out; one of them apologized for allowing him in, but he had an invitation.

"I don't care what he had. If I pass around a picture of a man I don't want in, I don't want him in," Natsuki informed the guards before turning her attention back to her lover.

The principal smiled as did Shizuru. Natsuki marched back to her place at Shizuru's side and turned her attention back to Mikoto.

"All right, shorty, show us what all of that practice did for you," Natsuki remarked. Mikoto grinned and nodded. Just like that the ceremony was underway.

-----

Next time: the end.


	21. Forever

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does. Well, I do own Ryo and his sons, Dante, Shizue since I thought up those characters.

21: Forever

Tension quickly vanished after Takeda was out of sight and the wedding was able to go on without much trouble. Mikoto did a wonderful job performing the ceremony, making everyone proud of her, especially Mai. Natsuki and Shizuru had written their own vows and spoke them to each other as if they were the only two people on the planet.

"Shizuru, my dearest love, I have never felt this way about another person and I know this feeling will last for all eternity. I will always love you, even when our bodies are gone. My love for you will never die. I will always do my best to show you the depths of my affection for you and I will do anything, _anything_, for you. I will make sure you never want for anything, especially love. I am yours for now and always," Natsuki promised, her emerald eyes shining brightly with the emotions that some never thought possible. She looked ready to burst into tears.

A tear did slid down Shizuru's face and she had to take a few breaths before she could speak her vows. "Natsuki, my sweet Natsuki, I pledge my never-ending and undying love only to you. You are my heart, my soul, my entire being, my whole world, and without you, I am nothing. You make me whole, you make me exist. I am your servant, your slave, and whatever you want or need me to be. I will always care for you and take care of you. Thank you for making me the happiest woman on the planet. I will do my best to make you feel this way for the rest of your life…"

It was Natsuki's turn to cry; she was so touched by Shizuru's words and the adoring look in crimson eyes. Shizuru smiled and gently reached out, wiping away her love's tears. The audience was waiting for hearts to pop out of their eyes with the way they were looking at each other. Mikoto then pronounced the couple married. The crowd, led by Natsuki's brothers, cheered loudly when the newlyweds exchanged their first kiss as a married couple. Mai breathed a sigh of relief that the couple did not get carried away, remembering that there were a lot of people watching.

The reception went just as smoothly as the wedding, but there were some underlying questions. Natsuki wanted answers and she wanted them now since everything seemed to be back to normal. She needed to talk to her parents immediately.

The principal tried to get to her parents, wanting to know what they knew about Takeda's sudden appearance and how he had an invitation. She did not get the chance at first because she tried to go at them as soon as the reception began. She forgot that there were formalities for her to go through with her new bride before she was free to mingle with anyone.

Natsuki and Shizuru were sat in the middle of a table in the dining hall of Windbloom palace. On their sides were their families, showing that Natsuki's brothers all made the trip without their wives, except for Shuichi. Shizuru's family was much smaller by comparison since it was her parents and her little sister.

"Now starts the really embarrassing part," Natsuki muttered to herself.

"Sit back and let them toast us. No one is going to say anything too horrible," Shizuru assured the principal while taking Natsuki's hand in hers. She smiled when the pale hand squeezed hers.

"How do you know? Did you review your father's speech?" Natsuki inquired in a hiss. He was probably going to roast her!

"My precious wife," Shizuru paused, loving the sound of that word on her lips directed at Natsuki. She made a mental note to use the term more often. "My father knows when to be serious. He's not going to turn this day into a joke, I promise. Trust me."

The principal nodded and smiled brightly. "Always."

Natsuki was able to relax, just because Shizuru was holding her hand. Shizuru added in a gentle massage to Natsuki's knuckles, using her thumb, which really soothed the principal. The ebony-haired Otome smiled when she saw that Dante, Shizuru's father, was not going to be the first to toast the marriage. Mai got the honor.

"I'm going to keep this short and sweet since I know almost everyone has a few words to say. All I want to say is: it's about freaking time!" Mai grinned as a round of "hear, hear" followed her words. Apparently, everyone agreed with her.

After Mai gave her speech, everyone agree that Anh should speak while she was sober. The fair-haired princess took the remarks with her usual grace and said short kind words to the newlyweds. Natsuki's older brother went next. Things seemed to be running smoothly until Shizuru's little sister, Daphne, got up to say something.

"Shizuru-onee-sama, enjoy being married to Natsuki-kun for the next three years because once I'm legal I'm stealing her!" Daphne promised with a smile that had to be genetic because Shizuru was a master at it—as was Dante.

"Dearest little sister, I promise you that I will be the only Viola that Natsuki is ever married to," Shizuru said with an amused smile.

"These Viola women are just all over you, huh, baby bro?" Koji remarked with a wolfish grin.

"And they're nothing but trouble," Natsuki replied with an amused smile.

"You know you love us all, Natsuki-chan," Shizue, Shizuru's mother, remarked.

Natsuki groaned, but a gentle squeeze to her hand eased her nerves. She gulped when Dante stood to speak, not sure what he might say. She glanced at Shizuru, who offered her a light, encouraging smile.

"I was planning to stand up here and say a million things that I knew would make Natsuki blush. I knew we would all get a delight out of it, but I decided against that." He paused as a short, disappointed groan echoed throughout the party. "I want Natsuki to know from the bottom of my heart that I don't think my daughter could have done any better than marrying Natsuki, even if the proposal took ten years. If that's any indication of how long they're going to be together, I'm happy it took so long. Natsuki, I know my whole family likes to get on your case and tease you, but you know we're like that with each other. We see you as one of us and have for a long time now. I know you'll bring my daughter happiness and I pray that she does the same for you."

Despite it all, Natsuki did blush as a round of agreements went around. Soft lips touched a flushed cheek and Natsuki turned to look at Shizuru, who smiled as she pulled away. Natsuki smiled too.

"I'm pretty sure that Shizuru will make me as happy as she always does," Natsuki stated with a tender look in her eyes.

There was a round of applause. Natsuki was a bit saddened as the speeches continued because her parents did not have anything to say. At one point, the mic even came to Ryo and he passed it along.

The principal of Garderobe and newlywed decided not to worry about her parents for the time being. She just wanted to enjoy the moment. After more speeches than Natsuki had ever heard at any international meeting, she and Shizuru cut their cake. They shared the first slice and gave the second, third, and fourth slice to Mikoto, who looked more than contented now that she had food.

"Ara, ara, my little Shizuru is all married now. I suppose it's a sign that we all have to get married," Anh commented, speaking to the small group of people near her that included Chie, Haruka, Mai, Yukino, and Aoi.

Chie almost choked on her champagne and wished that she had when she noticed the twinkle in Aoi's eyes. Haruka laughed nervously while Yukino smiled. Mai looked at her master and could not help laughing loudly.

"Anh-onee-sama, who are you kidding? You know you wouldn't last a minute married," Mai remarked.

The fair-haired princess smiled coyly. "Wouldn't we have said the same of Shizuru not too long ago?"

"Not really. Shizuru and Natsuki have been together for such a long time, it's hard not to think of them as married already," Mai argued.

"I just can't wait for them to have children. I'm going to spoil them rotten!" Anh declared with a joyous grin. No one doubted that she was telling the truth.

"It would be like having children that you can send home later. I'm in!" Mai concurred with a grin. She was very much looking forward to that.

Natsuki watched the group from across the room and shook her head, knowing that their laughs and smiles were because of her and Shizuru. A soft hand on her cheek turned her attention back to where it was supposed to be: on her wife. She and Shizuru were dancing together, having the first dance of the afternoon.

"Natsuki has made almost all of my dreams come true today," Shizuru said, wanting to keep her love's attention, so she figured speaking the truth would be the best way.

"Almost? How many more do we have to go and how many of them are rated PG?" Natsuki inquired with a curious look on her face.

Shizuru's head went back as she laughed lightly for a moment. "My dreams are hardly perverted, dearest. Don't confuse my dreams with my desires."

"All right, all right. So, your dreams are PG rated. What are they and what can I do to fulfill them?" Natsuki asked in earnest. She would move mountains right now if it meant bringing her wife even a small amount of happiness.

The taller woman was silent for a long moment. She adjusted her body, drawing closer to her beloved. She snuggled her face into Natsuki's soft, inky mane. The principal knew that an answer would come, but she had to wait a little while.

"My dreams always include Natsuki. First, I dreamed of Natsuki loving me, which came true. Then I dreamed of Natsuki marrying me, which has come true. I now dream of our family together. I dream of carrying Natsuki's baby," the words were whispered gentle, like a kind secret that almost took Natsuki's knees out from under her.

"Shizuru…" Natsuki whimpered as she held onto her wife for dear life.

"Are those Natsuki's dreams too?" Shizuru asked, her voice pleading with her love.

Natsuki could not trust her voice right now. She only nodded, which brought a smile to her lover's face. Shizuru held Natsuki tighter too and let thoughts of them starting a family run through her mind.

"They are too adorable," Shizue commented as she and her husband watched the newlyweds dance. They were standing close to Natsuki's parents, who were staring at the same sight.

"They are. I'm very glad that Shizuru was able to find Natsuki. Heavens forbid she actually have fun in her teenage years like I did," Dante remarked.

Shizue rolled her eyes. "As if I would allow you to have fun."

Dante scoffed and then smiled in a charming manner. "You forget, dear lady, I called the shots, just like Shizuru does with Natsuki."

"You, like Shizuru, fail to understand that we allow that. So, I wouldn't brag too much about it," Shizue commented in a calm manner.

The tawny-haired noble wisely let the matter drop. He turned his attention to the Krugers and figured that it was time to try conversing with them again. He was coming to understand that they were not taking the occasion as joyful as everyone else and he did not understand why.

"They're a charming couple, aren't they?" Dante asked the King and Queen.

It took the Krugers a moment to realize that they were being addressed. They both blinked hard before turning to the nobles standing near them. The Viola pair smiled, hoping to set the Krugers at ease.

"Excuse me?" Ryo said.

"Our daughters. They make a charming couple, right?" Dante repeated.

"Uh…" Ryo was not sure how to respond to the question.

"Natsuki has said that this thing is not very common in Saxas. It is great that you all could put that aside and come support her," Shizue said, hoping that drew the duo out of their shells.

"She's our daughter," Saeko stated, as if she was insulted by the implication that they would not show up.

"I realize that, which is why it's good that you came. There are still places where Natsuki and Shizuru would have disowned for their love. She was scared to tell you about her relationship, but it's good that she got over it," Shizue said.

"Scared?" the Krugers echoed as if they were totally surprised by that. They had the nerve to look baffled as to why Natsuki would be afraid to tell them anything, especially about her relationship.

"When she was much younger. She used to spend some vacations with us and bewitch our daughters," Dante remarked with a smile. He thought that whenever Natsuki spent time at their home, Shizuru fell even deeper in love with her and poor Daphne had such a crush on Natsuki that still existed, even though Daphne understood where Natsuki's heart was and would always be.

Ryo and Saeko were about to object to the idea that their daughter bewitched anyone, but they decided against it because they did not want it to come across that they were against the newlyweds. It amazed them how many people came out to celebrate the wedding of two women, many of whom they knew were heads of state in many countries or representative of heads of state. Most of the guests even seemed to be all right with the union, as if it was completely normal. They were sort of thrown by the whole atmosphere.

"You've raised a fine daughter. She's a strong leader and wonderful partner for Shizuru. We should thank you for that," Shizue said, still trying to prompt the other couple. She and her husband noticed that they seemed to be in shock, which they could not understand. It seemed like they would not get an understanding because the royal couple was not conversing.

"Was she really scared to tell us?" Saeko asked as she realized what was said about Natsuki's mindset. Natsuki had been scared to tell them that she was in love?

"For a while, but we promised her that you would be accepting of her and that who she loved would not change your feelings for her. How right we were," Dante boasted with a charming grin.

Ryo and Saeko looked away, shame spilling over them like a knocked over glass on an expensive white carpet. They knew that Natsuki's fear had foundation considering the way that they had been acting and it crushed them to know that their own child was afraid to tell them something. They felt even worse knowing that her fear was founded. Who knew what they might have been if a teenage Natsuki told them that she was in love with Shizuru. They hated thinking that they had taken things the best that they would have at the moment because they knew that they had not handled things well.

"So…how long did you two know about our girls?" Ryo asked. He had to clear his throat to make sure his voice did not shake as he spoke. The nobles were polite and ignored the noise and nervousness.

"Long enough for me to consider buying a shotgun to get your daughter to propose sometime this century," Dante joked.

"Your daughter could have just as easily proposed," Saeko mildly snapped, coming to her daughter's defense. Well, she thought that Shizuru could have proposed just as well as Natsuki; she was not sure how things worked with same-sex couples. She had to think that Natsuki was…"the man" of the relationship. If that was the case, things were really going to take some getting used to and she doubted that she would totally accept the couple of that was how things were.

"Touché," Shizure said while elbowing her husband in the side, making sure to do it none-too-gently. He glanced down at her and stepped away a few inches away from her before she bruised his ribs.

"Ah, yes, Shizuru could have proposed, but why should she when I didn't?" Dante remarked with a laugh.

"You didn't propose to your own wife?" Ryo inquired in shock and confusion. He had never heard of such a thing.

"No, she pretty much threatened to shoot me if I didn't marry her. I'm glad Natsuki didn't go that route. Knowing Shizuru, she would have asked to see the gun first," Dante commented and a glare from Shizue kept him from taking that remark further than any of them needed to hear.

There was a beat of silence between them as they focused on their daughters again. All four of them smiled; Dante's was the biggest smile and surprisingly enough Shizue's was the smallest. Saeko suddenly asked a question.

"Are you two waiting for grandchildren?" the Queen of Saxas inquired.

"We suspect the wait shouldn't be long. Shizuru, though she loves her job, isn't going to be able to resist the idea that she could have Natsuki's baby for too long," Shizue answered.

"I'm shocked she resisted this long. I was expecting her to show up one day knocked up and saying something like 'ara, ara, I thought I would show you my surprise in person.' You know how she is with Natsuki, after all," Dante said.

"You don't mind this scientific approach to things?" Saeko asked, keeping her tone neutral, but her eyes showed how much she was bothered by the thought.

"Considering how many children are born through the aid of science, no. Why, does it bother you?" Shizue countered, even though she could tell that it did bother the Queen, very much so.

"It does seem a bit unnatural to me…" Saeko admitted.

Shizue tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. "You'd be surprised how many people are born through scientific intervention. I'm sure you'll feel differently once Natsuki and Shizuru have a little daughter that looks like the both of them. Although I would watch the Viola genes, as they seem to be damned strong." She glanced at her husband and then at both of her daughters.

Saeko did not say anything and turned her attention back to the newlyweds. Natsuki and Shizuru were wrapped up in each other, still dancing, as if they were the only two people in the universe. It would seem that they totally forgot about the moment of weirdness at the start of the wedding. It was good for them to forget that since this was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. It appeared to be just that too.

"You know I love you, right?" Natsuki asked Shizuru, just to be sure.

"It never hurts to hear it one more time, lovely wife," Shizuru replied with a small, sweet smile.

"You like calling me that more than you do 'prince,' don't you?" Natsuki inquired, smiling a little herself. She loved hearing it if her expression meant anything.

"I do indeed, my wife. The best thing I like to call you is mine. You are mine, aren't you, dearest Natsuki?" The question was whispered into a pale ear and a kiss was then placed to that ear.

Natsuki answered in a breath. "You know I am."

"And I will never have to worry about someone else making that claim?" Shizuru continued to question. One of her hands leisurely and lightly wandered Natsuki's slim, powerful form.

"They wouldn't be telling the truth if they did. You don't have to worry about anybody, Shizuru. No man, no woman, and especially not Takeda. I am yours, now, always, and forever, just as I promised in my vows."

Shizuru almost swooned from those sweet words. She thought about to the vows that Natsuki made barely an hour ago and how delightful each and every promise sounded, how much her body sang knowing that Natsuki would do everything in her power to keep each of those promises.

"You are the most wonderful person ever, ouji-sama," Shizuru said while planting a deep kiss on her wife's mouth.

It was now Natsuki's turn to almost fall over. She barely heard the cheering when Shizuru pulled away. Shizuru laughed a bit when she saw the dazed look on her love's face and she heard the applause from their family and friends. The best thing for Shizuru was that Natsuki's brothers were leading the cheers, letting her know that they approved of the marriage and were not just pretending.

"I hope I'm not embarrassing you, Nat-kun," Shizuru remarked.

"You're not. Nothing you do could really embarrass me right now. I'm just so happy to be here with you, to be married to you. I'm happy that everyone witnessed our commitment to each other. I'm happy that everyone gets to see just how in love we are," Natsuki answered.

"Especially your parents?"

"Yes, so now they can stop all of this nonsense about me marrying a man. I do need to speak with them before we leave for our honeymoon. I want to find out if they were the ones that gave Takeda an invite," Natsuki said.

"Don't accuse them so soon, Natsuki. Ask them gently. It is possible that he could have gotten an invitation from someone else. We sent almost two hundred of them out and some people were not able to make it. So, he could have easily gotten it through one of them."

"You're trying to protect my parents?" Natsuki inquired quite incredulously.

"I just don't want you to upset them over something that might not be their fault. Deal with the situation gently. You don't want to push them around if this was not their fault or they might retreat from you again."

Natsuki nodded, knowing her lover was absolutely correct. She did not want to push her parents away if they honestly were trying to accept her relationship with Shizuru. _Maybe they did not invite Takeda and he acted on his own_. She decided that she was going to approach her parents with that in mind, giving them the benefit of the doubt.

"I suppose matters could have been worse. Maybe I'm a little upset with myself because I thought I tied up all of the loose ends," Natsuki admitted.

"Loose ends like what?" Shizuru asked curiously.

"Well, I had guards on the lookout for Takeda to make sure he did not get in, which we know didn't work. I also had them on the lookout for Tomoe, but I was also able to contact her aunt to make sure that she was nowhere near here today. For once, her family came through."

Shizuru smiled. "My little prince is always thinking ahead. I would have hated for Tomoe to show up here."

"Then you know how I feel about Takeda turning up here."

The Third Column nodded. The couple finally broke apart to mingle a bit; Shizuru knew that she needed to talk to people now before she was dragging Natsuki to go start their honeymoon. Natsuki just wanted to make sure Garderobe would not be blown up while she was gone…and to get Nao the hell away from Kenta. They were spending way too much time near each other in Natsuki's opinion.

"Nao, you stay away from Kenta. Kenta, this is jailbait, so you stay away from her," Natsuki ordered her brother and her friend as she stepped in between them.

"I am not jailbait!" Nao huffed.

"Doesn't matter. He's almost ten years older than you are. No more flirting between you two," Natsuki commanded as she pointed between the pair.

"Chill out, Nat-kun. Shizuru led me to believe that you and Nao were friends," Kenta commented.

"Hell no!" Natsuki and Nao both shouted with indignant looks on their face.

Kenta laughed and Natsuki marched off, not wanting to hear anything about being friends with Nao. She went over to her parents, who were sitting down and watching the crowd. Natsuki pulled up a chair next to them.

"How are you liking the wedding?" Natsuki asked curiously.

"It's…impressive," Ryo admitted.

"So many people and they all speak highly of you," Saeko replied.

Natsuki smiled. "I'm sure they'll say what they really feel when they're heading home. I want to know what you think, though."

"It was a wonderful ceremony, although having that little girl do it might trouble you later on down the line," the King answered.

"Mikoto? She's a goddess and the marriage preformed by her was very much legal. Are you hoping otherwise?" Natsuki asked with a strange glint in her eyes that her parents noticed, but were not sure what it was.

"Natsuki, all we want is your happiness," Saeko stated, knowing that was the best answer for her to give.

"If that's the case, I need you guys to trust me. Shizuru makes me happy and she will continue to do that, like she has for the past decade. All right?" Natsuki asked.

The parents nodded to show that they understood. Their eyes showed some hesitation, but Natsuki expected that. She leaned forward a bit as she prepared to ask her next question.

"Did either of you invite Takeda here? Promise him anything?" Natsuki inquired in a serious, but quiet tone, making sure that no one else heard.

"We did not," Ryo insisted. Natsuki nodded, but she did look at her mother.

"I didn't invite him, Natsuki-chan. I wouldn't risk ruining this day, even if I don't understand it totally and even if I did resist for a long while. I swear," Saeko stated.

Natsuki nodded. "Thank you both, for that and for coming. I'm glad you're trying. I know this is all new and weird to you, but please, keep trying, for me and for the family that I want to build."

"You shouldn't have to thank us for this, Natsuki. We're your parents and even though we butt heads a lot, we do want you to be happy. If Shizuru is your key to happiness, we will do our best to support you in any way that you need," Ryo vowed.

"Thank you, Papa," Natsuki said quietly. He smiled, happy to hear the title that his daughter used to call him by when she was very little. Occasionally, she called him "papa" and it was usually when she pleased with him.

Ryo leaned over and he kissed the center of Natsuki's forehead. She felt as if she had been blessed and she knew from there on that everything would be fine between her and her father…well, as fine as they always were. She smiled from the emotion coursing through her thanks to the simple gesture. She had to wipe her eyes to make sure she did not start crying.

"Just try to pick up some ladylike behavior from Shizuru. Just because your brothers consider you a boy doesn't mean you are one, even if you're dressed like some confused groom," Saeko remarked and she kissed Natsuki on the cheek. She decided to keep her thoughts of Natsuki being "the man" in the relationship to herself. Maybe one day, she would be able to ask or she would just grow to understand, but right now, she did not want to ruin the moment.

The former biker laughed, lightly and lovely. The three of them shared a quiet moment before Shizuru appeared out of nowhere on Natsuki's back.

"Excuse me, your highnesses, I wish to have my wife back," Shizuru quipped with a smile of her own.

"That's fine and well, but I suppose since we are family now, you'll have to find a less formal way to address us," Saeko said to the Third Column.

Shizuru was now grinning while Natsuki would have been knocked over with a feather. It would appear that the King and Queen of Saxas truly were going to try. Natsuki was almost tempted to ask if her parents were abducted by aliens on the way to the wedding.

"For now, will Ryo-san and Saeko-san do?" Shizuru asked. She wanted to start small before she blindsided them by calling them "Mom" and "Dad" like Natsuki did.

"It will do for now," the couple answered. It seemed strange, but it would do for the moment.

"Thank you. Well, now, once again, I will have to steal your daughter away," Shizuru said and then she leaned down next to Natsuki's ear. She whispered something that only the principal could hear and whatever she said turned Natsuki's whole head a deep crimson.

"I get the feeling it's time for you two to go on your honeymoon," Ryo commented.

"Yeah. Bye, Mom, Dad. I'll talk to you guys when I get back," Natsuki said as she stood up into her spouse's waiting arms.

Shizuru grinned widely, almost madly as she embraced Natsuki. The couple made their rounds, saying their goodbyes to their guests. They then left for their honeymoon and for their future.

--------------

Next time: a honeymoon epilogue.


	22. Epilogue: Over the horizon

I don't own these characters; Sunrise does.

A/N: sorry for the wait, but at least now I get to really earn that M rating. So, if you don't like seeing two women in a sexual relationship…seriously, why are you even here? Run for it now! If you're into that sort of thing, though, stick around.

Epilogue: Over the horizon

"I can't believe this is really where you want to spend our honeymoon," Natsuki commented as she drove a rented SUV down a dirt road in the middle of the woods. It looked like the type of place she and her brothers would hang out on dirt bikes or something.

"I told Natsuki that I wanted to spend our honeymoon with as little distractions as possible because I wanted to be alone with my wife," Shizuru replied with a smile. She had been referring to Natsuki as "my wife" as often as possible since they got married yesterday.

"I know you did, but still, this doesn't seem like your style. I really can't believe you picked this place," Natsuki stated once again. It certainly was a place that she would have chose if she was looking to have fun, though. Unfortunately, she did not have any of the things that she would have used while in the woods, like a dirt bike or an ATV or even a fishing pole…not that she noticed as much as a puddle yet.

"I think that Natsuki will like it, but my wife will not be too tempted to stray from me for the week that we have alone," Shizuru explained.

Natsuki blushed, even though she wished to object. Natsuki had a very bad habit on vacations, according to Shizuru anyway. Natsuki liked to…well, she liked to do stuff! Shizuru went on vacation to relax, lounge around, be lazy, and spend time in bed with Natsuki. Now, those things were very nice and Natsuki enjoyed them too, but she also enjoyed exploring new places, checking out old haunts, and spending the day wandering for activities to do. This was not what Shizuru wanted on their honeymoon.

"I wouldn't leave you alone on our honeymoon. I'm not that dense!" the principal argued, trying her best to look indignant about things, but she found it impossible to do. What was there to be indignant about when she was spending a week with her beautiful wife away from all the troubles of the world? Nothing!

Shizuru smiled and reached over to take her spouse's hand, confident in Natsuki's ability to drive with one hand on even the bumpy, dirt road. "I'm not saying that you would, but I want your only temptation to be me for the next week. Is that so bad?"

"Of course not. I'm just saying that you could've picked some place that you really wanted to go instead of picking some rustic cabin in the woods. I don't want to chance you being miserable," Natsuki answered, taking her eyes off of the road for a moment to stare at her wife.

The older woman could not help laughing. "How could I possibly be miserable? I will be alone with my wonderful wife for an entire week! It just is not possible."

Natsuki smiled and nodded in agreement. "I guess I'm just turning into a worry-wart, huh?"

Shizuru squeezed Natsuki's hand. "I love it when my wife worries about me, so please, carry on. It shows that I'm on your mind."

"You're always on my mind, Shizuru." Natsuki pulled Shizuru's hand to her lips and placed a gentle kiss to fingers.

Shizuru closed her eyes for a moment as small jolts of pleasure slid through her thanks to Natsuki's attention. She did not say anything else and the ride was spent in a comfortable silence. The quiet was broken as Natsuki gasped as the car came to the top a hill and there was a break in the woods, giving her a clear view of where they were.

"I take it my wife approves?" Shizuru asked, holding back a very knowing smile. She was all too aware of how breathtaking their destination would be for her beloved.

"I thought you said no distractions…" Natsuki muttered. She was staring at a huge light blue lake with a clear beach surrounding it. By the beach was a beautiful house that was very different from the rustic cabin Natsuki thought they would be staying in.

"No distractions doesn't mean I don't want my wife to be able to swim whenever the desire overtakes her," Shizuru answered with a sly smile that went by Natsuki.

"Oh, man! I didn't pack a bathing suit. I didn't know there'd be water out here to swim in," the shorter woman groaned.

"Oh, I forgot to mention that no one else would be around? This is private land," Shizuru casually mentioned, but the smile that she was sporting let her wife know that her mind was going way beyond casual.

Natsuki glanced over at Shizuru. "You mean…you didn't tell me about this lake or that no one would be around because you want me to skinny dip, don't you?" she accused the tawny-haired woman.

Shizuru's smile shifted to impish. "Why, I would never do such a thing!" she gasped in mock-indignation.

Natsuki laughed and smiled, but she did not say anything. She was going to go for a swim when she got a chance since she now knew that she had permission to do so. Still, she was going to try her best to spend every waking moment with Shizuru since she was certain that was what her wife wanted. She was also going to indulge Shizuru by making a show of swimming when she finally did go.

The car rocked a bit as they eased onto level ground coming up to the lake house. Natsuki continued to stare at the house in awe, wondering why the hell she really thought that they would be staying at a little cabin. She should have known that was not Shizuru's style, but the lake house certainly seemed to be about her new wife's speed.

She pulled into the wide, gravel driveway and put the car in park very close to the three wooden steps that led up to the front door. Natsuki opened her door and then trotted over to the other side of the car, just in time to see Shizuru opening her own door. Natsuki pouted.

"I wanted to do that," Natsuki complained, looking like a disappointed child.

Shizuru giggled because of the expression. "Should I shut the door and allow my wife to open it for me?"

"Don't be silly. Would you mind if I help you out?" Natsuki proposed with hope in her eyes.

"That sounds fair. Ever the chivalrous knight." A happy smile played across Shizuru's lips. "Hmm…is my wife also going to want to carry me across the threshold?" she asked, clearly teasing as she offered the younger woman her hand.

"You carry all the bags and my hands are free, sure," Natsuki replied with a smile while helping her dear spouse out of the car. She made a point to grab onto Shizuru's waist while helping and "accidentally" brushing her fingers across Shizuru's ass.

"Naughty Natsuki," Shizuru whispered while standing on solid ground. She put her hand over Natsuki's to keep the pale hand where it was just a little longer.

The princess blushed. "It was an accident…" she weakly lied.

"I'm sure it was, dearest wife. Come, let's get inside."

Natsuki nodded and opened the back door. She grabbed two duffle bags while Shizuru took charge of a large suitcase. They walked to the door, which Natsuki discovered was open. As the principal peered inside of their home for the week, she could not help whistling. The place was as impressive inside as it was outside.

"Where did you find this place?" Natsuki asked curiously as she stepped across the threshold. She was tempted to honestly carry Shizuru across the threshold, but she knew that Shizuru would want to do the same; Shizuru had said as much when Natsuki proposed the idea a couple of months ago. There was something about Shizuru carrying her somewhere other than to bed that did not sit well with Natsuki, so the idea was junked.

"This is Anh's wedding present to us," Shizuru answered as she stepped inside, closing the door as soon as she was in the house.

"Leave it to Anh to go overboard," Natsuki commented with a little laugh.

"Not to be outdone, my father is out looking for a manor to buy us," Shizuru remarked with a smile.

Natsuki laughed, knowing it was probably true. "We should actually consider getting a house and where we want to live and everything. I mean, we can't stay at the principal suite at Garderobe for the rest of our lives. I'd like our kids to have a proper house and some land to play on."

"I agree. Can we save this discussion for another time? I would like to just focus on this week, not the future right now," Shizuru said. She knew that Natsuki would get wrapped up in planning the future if she let Natsuki go down that road because that was what Natsuki did; Natsuki made plans.

"All right," the ebony-haired Otome concurred.

Shizuru smiled and she decided to go put the suitcase away in the master bedroom while Natsuki decided to look around. The principal took in the bottom floor of the two-story house. She wandered into the living room, taking in the rich, light wooden décor that she noticed seemed to be the theme with the house. There was a light tan sofa with a matching love seat, and recliner. A stone fireplace was on the back wall where Natsuki would have liked to find a television.

"Oh, no…" Natsuki thought. She was on vacation with no TV!

She had to see if that was true, so she rushed through the other rooms. The den was like a small version of the living room, also lacking a television and the bookshelves were bare. There was nothing to read in the house either. Okay, it was one thing to be away from civilization and to be out in the woods with nothing to really do, but it was another thing to take away television and books!

Natsuki marched off, intent on giving Shizuru a piece of her mind…as soon as she could find her beloved wife. _This place is huge!_ She thought while trying to find the master bedroom. She did not know why she thought to check upstairs before looking around the rest of the first floor, but she found out that there were two guest bedrooms up there, an office space, a huge bathroom, and an empty room that seemed to be waiting for something to go in there.

She sighed and turned around to go back downstairs to continue her search. Downstairs, she found another office space, which also did not have any reading materials in it, and another large bathroom. She decided to start calling out for help since she thought that it might be a while before she did find the master bedroom.

"Hey, Shizuru! There's no TV or books around here! Did you do that on purpose?" Natsuki called, but she did not get any response. "Oi! Shizuru, babe!" she continued.

A giggling sound that she knew was her wife caught Natsuki's ear. She guessed that the laughter was due to her using the term "babe." Natsuki was trying to get into the swing of using pet names and terms of endearment with Shizuru, but she found that she was not as good at it as Shizuru was. She was stuck with generic terms like "babe" and "baby."

Natsuki zeroed in on the sound like she had radar and found the master bedroom with no problem after that. The room was tucked away in the back of the house, next to a second set of stairs that led up to the top floor. The door was shut, but could be pushed open easily. Natsuki did not think anything of it and marched right in.

"Babe, there's no TV…" Natsuki trailed off as she figured out why Shizuru disappeared on her. Her mouth hung open and her mind almost completely forgot her complaint. It had something to do with television…or books…or something…_who the hell cares?!_

The reason for Natsuki's sudden case of amnesia was because her dear wife was sitting on the king-sized bed on the back wall, wearing a crimson-colored teddy that Natsuki brought her for just this occasion. She had her back arched, showing off her curves, and a come-hither stare in her ruby-red eyes, beckoning her wife with her eyes. Topping off the surprise was the coy look on Shizuru's face; internally, she was smiling like the devil.

"Natsuki was saying something?" Shizuru asked curiously, tilting her head to the side and putting a finger to her chin as if she was thinking something over.

"Was I?" Natsuki wondered. _What the hell was I saying?_

Shizuru was close to giggling again. She doubted that she would ever get enough of Natsuki's reaction to her in provocative situations. Natsuki had a way of making it seem like it was her first time seeing Shizuru in sexy lingerie every time she saw Shizuru like that. The twinkle in those emerald eyes always succeeded in making Shizuru feel sexy and loved.

"Maybe I can help jog my wife's memory," Shizuru said and she proceeded to put on a show to just fry Natsuki's brain a little more.

Shizuru leaned forward to crawl across the bed on her hands and knees. Natsuki refused to blink, fearing that she might miss something. Her eyes strayed from Shizuru's alluring face to other swaying body parts. She swallowed hard while taking in the curves and swells that begged for her touch and skin that she longed to taste.

"Baby…" Natsuki breathed out the term of endearment.

"Yes, my darling wife?" Shizuru asked while beckoning the shorter woman closer with smooth motion of her index finger.

"You're so beautiful…"

"Why don't you come over here and show me how beautiful you think I am," Shizuru suggested. Natsuki took a couple of steps and her wife giggled again, halting her progress with a raised hand. "Natsuki, I think it would be a good time to put the bags down," the older woman suggested.

_Good plan!_ Natsuki dropped the bags as if they were poisonous. She took long steps over to her spouse and practically consumed Shizuru in a heated kiss as soon as she was upon the Third Column. Shizuru felt like her body imploded just from the kiss and her hands acted on their own accord, trying to get Natsuki out of her clothing as quickly as possible.

"Natsuki…wife…" Shizuru begged in a hiss as she pulled away, her fingers still fumbling with the tiny buttons on Natsuki's shirt.

The shorter woman chuckled a little. "Now you know how _I_ always feel when you get my motor running and you have on complicated clothing."

"Help me," Shizuru pled with an adorable, but sexy pout.

"Always," Natsuki vowed as she leaned down for another kiss. She eased Shizuru's hands to a home that they would be happier with, the button to her pants. She took care of the small buttons of her shirt.

Shizuru undid the fly to her beloved's pants and gently pushed them down her hips. She stared at the creamy skin that was staring her in the face and making her mouth water before glancing up to check on Natsuki's progress with her shirt. The pale woman was down to the last button as soon as her eyes locked with her lover's gaze. It felt like pure heat and electricity passed between them in that look; they dared not move as the exchange went on.

"Will you…?" Natsuki whispered.

Shizuru nodded and sat up on her knees. She gently brushed the shirt off of Natsuki's shoulders, letting it flutter to the floor. She then settled back on all fours as Natsuki stepped back, coming right out of her pants. Shizuru whimpered because of the distance between them and Natsuki hurriedly returned to her former position. Shizuru smiled and moved to nuzzle her face in her wife's flat belly.

Shizuru lost herself—and her face—in the smooth, silky skin of Natsuki's abdomen. Natsuki purred as she felt Shizuru's fingers dancing across her the small of her back and up her shoulders. She ran her fingers through the soft, tawny hair as a sign of tender encouragement. It did not take long for the nuzzles to turn into light kisses, which soon transformed into long, wet kisses.

"Shizuru…" Natsuki breathed out the name as she felt like her whole body was ablaze with the light of the sun. The touches gracing her back were breathtaking and the attention to her front was explosive.

"Yes, my dearest wife?" Shizuru asked before placing a kiss on Natsuki's navel.

"I love you."

The words paused Shizuru and she had to gaze up at Natsuki. The older woman looked as if she might burst into tears when she met those emerald eyes with her own crimson ones. Natsuki cupped Shizuru's face and lightly lifted, signaling for Shizuru to come up to her level. Shizuru obliged and Natsuki placed the most loving kiss to her lips, causing a tear to slide down Shizuru's cheek.

"I'll always love you," Natsuki promised.

"I will always love you too," Shizuru replied. "Right now, I want to love every bit of you with every bit of me."

Natsuki let loose a charming, lopsided grin. "I have no objections to that."

Shizuru smiled, a devilish grin before going in for a deeper, much more lascivious kiss. Natsuki responded immediately, meeting each and every one of her wife's movements at the same sensual pace. Taking it a step further, Shizuru's tongue poked out of her mouth to trace the outline of Natsuki's lips and was given the desired reaction. Natsuki's lips parted and Shizuru's tongue wasted no time entering the space, being greeted by Natsuki's welcoming tongue. They explored the familiar areas of each other's mouth at their own leisure, as if they were trying to find things that they had missed over the years.

Shizuru's hands were copying her tongue in a way, gliding against Natsuki's body, as if searching for any dent, dimple, or mole that had not been discovered yet. She greedily kneaded any flesh that she found interesting, which was pretty much all of it. She only paused when she came to the clasp of Natsuki's bra, which she skillfully unhooked with one hand.

"You won't be needing this for the week," Shizuru quipped while pulling away just far enough to get rid of Natsuki's bra.

"I had a feeling about that," Natsuki remarked while watching Shizuru's face as crimson eyes never turned away from her pale chest. Shizuru stared with rapt attention at her wife's bare breasts.

"It's almost like seeing you for the first time," Shizuru said in awe. Her voice was barely a whisper.

"You drooled the first time," Natsuki reminded her spouse with a fond smile.

Shizuru had drooled openly the first time that she saw her lovely Natsuki in the nude. It had been a sigh to behold, just like now. Shizuru was not sure what was stopping her from drooling now.

The tawny-haired noble reached out and lightly ran her hands up and down her love's torso, causing Natsuki's eyes to flutter shut. A small moan escaped Natsuki as she felt kisses showered all over her body.

"Baby…" Natsuki whispered.

"Yes?" Shizuru asked in a similar tone.

"I need to lie down before I fall down," the principal admitted. She was not sure how her knees managed to keep her up as long as they did. It did not help matters that her legs were starting to feel like wet noodles.

"Of course." Shizuru smirked, pleased with herself to get such an open and honest reaction from her usually stubborn love.

Shizuru took Natsuki by the hand and gently pulled her to the massive bed. She shifted her position, moving to the foot of the bed and giving Natsuki plenty of room. Once the pale woman was situated on the mattress, Shizuru gave her soft shoves, indicating that she wanted Natsuki to move back to the head of the bed. Natsuki did so without a protest of any kind.

As Natsuki settled on the fluffy pillows at the head of the bed, Shizuru slowly crawled up the pale form that was presented to her. She made a few short stops to kiss Natsuki's bellybutton, the under side of each breast, her collarbone on each side, her throat, and then finally her lips. Natsuki responded with much enthusiasm, opening herself to Shizuru's onslaught, silently begging for her wife to consume her like the fire of the sun.

The taller woman smiled to herself as she felt Natsuki's hands wandering her back, caressing her and trying to press her closer, merge them together. She wished that they could become one as Natsuki always so desperately tried to make them. She decided to do the next best thing and come as close to fusing together as possible.

Soft, pink lips left Natsuki's mouth and floated across her face. Natsuki moaned as she felt a nip on her earlobe and then kisses down her jaw line. Shizuru attacked Natsuki's neck with vigor, determined to leave her mark and let the world know that Natsuki was hers. Her tongue licked at the delightful skin beneath her lips and she suckled at Natsuki's pulse point as if she was a vampire trying to draw blood.

A long, drawn out moan escaped Natsuki as Shizuru moved on, leaving a deep burgundy splotch in her wake. She slowly licked a trail down to Natsuki's collarbone, feeling rough hands kneading the muscles on her back in anticipation. She knew exactly why Natsuki was clutching her back, waiting for one of her favorite parts. Shizuru paused, earning a whimper and a pout.

"What an adorable noise and expression," Shizuru commented with a small smile.

"Shizuru…don't be mean…not today," Natsuki pled.

Shizuru nodded in agreement. "Forgive me, ouji-sama. I will not be mean to my wife this week, especially not after my wife made so many dreams come true for me."

Natsuki grinned, glad to hear that. Shizuru went back to work, going right to where her mate wanted her, her breasts. Shizuru lips wrapped around a small, pink peak while her hand occupied the other. Natsuki howled and arched into the touch, silently begging for more.

Shizuru nibbled on her lover, taking her in, experiencing her precious wife. She barely registered the hands on her back, roaming her body as if trying to map the entire plane. Her focus was squarely on the feast set out before her and she tried her best to devour creamy flesh. Small noises escaped Natsuki, keeping Shizuru working because she wanted to keep hearing those delightful sounds. But, soon, she knew that she needed to move on; there were tastier items to be had.

One last nip to a hardened peak and busy lips had to move on. She smiled to herself as she moved downward and felt hands running through her long hair, urging her to continue. She placed long, wet kisses to the toned abdomen beneath her, pausing to feel Natsuki writhing against her in anticipation.

"Shizuru…" Natsuki pled. Her words were silenced by busy hands on her chest, making her back bow again. She moaned loudly and could not recall what she wanted to say. The only words that she could get out now were, "Don't stop."

"I had no intention of stopping, dearest one," Shizuru replied with a devilish smile. "Not even when you beg for it."

Natsuki did not have a chance to contemplate those words as Shizuru captured her target, taking Natsuki with her mouth. The ebony-haired woman screamed to the heavens and pushed her body down, trying to get Shizuru to devour her entire body it seemed. The older woman tried to oblige, wanting more of Natsuki's sweet taste.

They both shifted; Natsuki's legs were suddenly hitched up on Shizuru's shoulders while one of Shizuru's hands abandoned Natsuki's breasts to go to her backside. Soft mews escaped Natsuki's throat, letting Shizuru know that Natsuki was close. Shizuru thought it was cute that Natsuki practically purred before she climaxed almost all the time…and she did not disappoint that time.

The princess felt like she was melting into a puddle as her body rocked from Shizuru's careful attention. Shizuru did not stop with at the first time, though. She continued on, lapping at Natsuki as if she was a happy kitten while Natsuki was purring like a contented cat. Shizuru had to move her hand from Natsuki's butt, where it was totally happy, to Natsuki's stomach to keep her from leaping off of the bed as Shizuru continued to drink from her.

"Oh, Shinso! Baby, stop!" Natsuki implored after the next tidal wave hit her, crashing against her worse than any tsunami.

Shizuru did not listen and distracted Natsuki by paying more attention to the right rosy peak on Natsuki's chest. She knew that she could get one more from her wife before Natsuki had truly reached her limit, but it always required a little distraction. Natsuki howled and leaped off of the bed as Shizuru finally drained her. Shizuru kept her hand on Natsuki's stomach to make sure the principal did not fly off of the bed as her body shuddered and she floundered like a fish out of water.

By the time Natsuki settled, Shizuru was curled up into her side, kissing her cheek. The younger woman sighed and wrapped her arms around her wife. Shizuru smiled and moved over to place a proper kiss to Natsuki's lips. The kiss was long and deep…very distracting. While Shizuru was focused on the kiss, Natsuki took advantage.

Before Shizuru realized it, she was on her back and Natsuki was hovering over her with a wolfish grin. Shizuru could place that expression anywhere. It was payback time.

"Natsuki, lovely wife…have mercy…" Shizuru pretended to beg.

"Mercy? After what you did? You know twice is my limit," Natsuki replied, acting angry.

"But, the third time is always the charm," Shizuru remarked with a weak smile.

"We'll see about that."

Natsuki did not give Shizuru a chance to contemplate those words, attacking a tempting neck with nips and light bits. Shizuru squealed from the assault and pressed herself closer to Natsuki's wanting mouth. She whined when the princess pulled away.

"Baby, while I like this piece a lot, I think I like you more out of it," Natsuki commented, lightly fingering the silky material.

"I like me more out of it too," Shizuru replied with a surprisingly coy smile for the situation. It got a smile out of Natsuki too, knowing that only her lover could look so innocent while they were so compromised.

"Then let's get you out of it."

Natsuki reached out back and lightly tugged in a string that kept the item in place. She watched as Shizuru sat up a little and the piece pooled down at her waist. Natsuki bit her lip at the sight. She could see why Shizuru thought it was like seeing her for the first because the feeling was mutual…except now Natsuki knew what to do; the first time, she had nearly fled the room because she had no clue what to do next.

"You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I feel blessed every time I'm with you," Natsuki said.

"Then be with me now, dearest Natsuki," Shizuru whispered.

The pale woman went to work right away, filling her hands with her love while her mouth returned to Shizuru's neck. Shizuru put her arms around Natsuki, seeking contact of any kind between them. She moaned, feeling Natsuki's teeth scrap against her neck before moving downward. She left a mark of her own on Shizuru's neck and she was not done with marking all that was hers.

As she neared Shizuru's breast, she was already planning out where she was going to mark. Shizuru merely clung to her, nails digging into Natsuki's heated flesh, while Natsuki worshipped Shizuru's body with long kisses and sensual bites. Shizuru pressed Natsuki closer, begging for more, not caring if her whole body was left covered in love bites.

The ebony-haired woman left her mouth where it was, but her hand strolled down Shizuru's stomach. She caressed Shizuru's belly and briefly considered moving her lips down there, if only to leave another mark, but she just could not tear herself away from where she was, going from one full hill to the other and treating the dusky pink peaks as if they were delicious candy. Shizuru was holding her tight too, so she was not going anywhere.

Her hand was the only thing that needed to move anyway. Her fingertips cut a light path straight down to Shizuru's body. The older woman cried out and her nails cut little crescent moons into Natsuki's back as she felt familiar fingers stroking her, loving her. She moved with the fingers as best she could, muttering incoherent words into Natsuki's ear.

Whatever Shizuru was saying spurred Natsuki on, kept her suckling and kissing on one of her favorite body parts. Suddenly, Shizuru tensed and stop moving altogether, letting loose a long, drawn out moan. Natsuki's fingers stilled and she glanced up to see crimson eyes closed and tawny hair sticking to her love's forehead.

"Natsuki," Shizuru muttered as she felt her body being placed down on the pillows again.

"Remember, Shizuru, this is paybacks," Natsuki reminded her wife.

Shizuru's mind did not have the power to figure out what Natsuki was talking about. She barely felt Natsuki removing her teddy from around her waist. Her body was still recovering when a jolt shot through her as Natsuki return to her chest, nuzzling the soft mounds as Natsuki worked her way in between Shizuru's legs.

"Natsuki?" Shizuru said, appearing confused.

"Two more, babe," Natsuki remarked with a smirk.

Shizuru still did not figure out what Natsuki meant and she did not care when those adoring lips hit her heated flesh again. Panting, moaning, and writhing were about the only things that Shizuru was capable of. Natsuki added to that list after she put a hand between their bodies and touched Shizuru again.

-----

Natsuki and Shizuru laid underneath the warm blanket situated on the bed. The moon was out, shining out on the lake, which they had a view of from the large glass doors on the opposite side of the room. They had their pillows propped up on the head of the bed, but Natsuki was using her wife's shoulder instead of her pillow. They were sharing a bottle of champagne, which was settled on Natsuki's side on the nightstand.

"I'm glad my wife thought to bring champagne," Shizuru commented as she took a sip from her glass. She settled deeper into her pillow while smiling because Natsuki's hand was drawing circles around her navel.

"Well, I was planning to use it to celebrate in a different way, but this way is fine too," Natsuki replied. She leaned down slightly and kissed the shoulder that her was against.

"You were going to pour it all over me, weren't you?"

Natsuki glanced up with an incredulous expression. "How the hell did you even guess that?"

"I know that on the inside Natsuki is very naughty and sometimes lets that come out and play when absolutely no one is around," Shizuru remarked, tickling her love's nude stomach with her free hand for a moment.

The ebony-haired woman did not bother denying it or even blaming Shizuru like she usually would. They both put down their glasses at the same time to turn their complete attention to each other. They were quiet for a long moment.

"Hey, babe, could we talk for a while?" Natsuki asked curiously.

"We can talk all the time. Oh, I meant to mention, I do like that you've gone back to calling me 'babe.'" Shizuru knew that needed to be said because Natsuki would stop using the nickname if she did not know that Shizuru truly appreciated it.

"Good to know. I didn't know if you liked it or not and I was going to stop…" Natsuki admitted. She still hated that she could not come up with something better than "baby" and "babe" to call Shizuru.

"I know my little Natsuki."

Natsuki nodded. "You know me better than anybody. I wish I knew you as well as you know me."

"You know me perfectly well, Natsuki, as my wife should. Have I mentioned that you make me the happiest woman in existence, especially when you said 'I do'?" Shizuru pulled Natsuki just a little closer to her, loving their shared warmth.

"You have, but I still say you're the second happiest. I'm definitely the happiest, but I was thinking about what would make you happier."

"Oh?" Shizuru shifted a little. "And what would that be?"

"Starting our family. When do you want to do that?" Natsuki asked.

"When would you like to do it?" Shizuru countered.

"I'm not sure. I would like a couple more years to ourselves, just feeling out being married. I also figured you'd like to keep working for a little while since I know you like being Archmeister…" Natsuki trailed off and wiggled a bit. "You do like it, right?"

Shizuru nodded. "Of course. I wouldn't do it if I didn't like it. You know that. I am willing to give it up to carry your baby, though."

"I was thinking that maybe I could go first. I don't know how many kids you want, but I think two would be good and since I don't really go out on assignments, I could go first," Natsuki proposed.

Shizuru blinked hard and looked at her wife as if she was confused. "You…you want to carry my baby?"

"Of course. You didn't think I would?" Natsuki asked with her own puzzled expression. "Don't tell me you're starting to buy this whole 'Natsuki's a boy' thing that my brothers keep pitching!" she teased.

"Never that. I do have intimate knowledge on how much of a woman Natsuki is. You just never really showed any inclination that you would like to be pregnant. I would be honored if you carried our first child and I think two children would be a good start. You never know, you might like a large family like yours," Shizuru pointed out.

Natsuki nodded. "That would be great if all the kids get along. I mean, I've seen families like mine where all the siblings can't stand to be in the same room with each other. I don't want that to be our kids."

It was Shizuru's turn to nod. "So, let's start with two and see what develops from there."

"Do you know what you want to do after retiring? I know I've never thought much on it. Have you?"

"No, actually I haven't," the older woman admitted. "We have time to discuss all of that, Natsuki. We're not planning to retire just yet. Let's live in the moment for a little while before you start plotting our entire lives."

Natsuki smiled, looking a little guilty; she had been ready to plan out their entire lives at that moment. She was able to put that away as Shizuru leaned down and placed light kisses to her cheek. She wrapped her arms around Shizuru and decided to live in the moment. The moment called for them to celebrate again as they had done all afternoon. The future was ahead of them and they were overjoyed to face it together.

-----

The end.


End file.
